Incandescence
by thisisnotwhoyouthink
Summary: What if at the end of Avengers, Shield had insisted that they had a right to punish Loki for his crimes on earth before going back to Asgard? What if Thor had let them? Problem is, even as a force of good, Shield can be downright evil, and Loki isn't as evil as everyone thinks. Now the Avengers have to deal with the fallout, and somehow help the God of Mischief become whole again.
1. Chapter 1

Loki had lost track of time. It was an easy thing to do considering that he had no idea what was going on when he had first been introduced to his new existence. It was made easier still when one took into account how difficult it was for him to form distinct thoughts anymore.

It hadn't always been like this. At times he remembered being angry, of having the strength to speak so that he may lash out at his captors at least verbally. Yelling, and later screaming. Attacking them physically never had been an option, or at least he could not remember a time that would have been possible. He so rarely had any visitors.

He knew his captors were mortals, knew that they thought their treatment of him was justice. They had told him so, or at least the ones that would speak to him did. They had been few and far between, and always angry and cruel but Loki had been too thankful to have someone respond to him to care how they did it. Any information, little as it was, was better than nothing.

They told him that he'd attacked their planet, nearly destroyed an entire city. Killed hundreds.

He didn't remember.

Sometimes there were flashes, brief periods in which he saw images of a large city with a beam of light in the middle of it leading to a hole in the sky. Or flashes of doing battle with Thor. Or a large green beast lunging forward…

It hurt to remember, but then again, everything hurt so there wasn't much of a difference. He remembered Thor. He remembered talking, but not knowing what he was saying. He remembered Thor looking down on him, surrounded by strange mortals.

It had been Thor who had put him here. He remembered the look on his brother's (notmybrother!) face and the feeling of cold metal encircle his jaw. He remembered Thor's words then, he remembered that more than anything else.

If he concentrated he could still feel the bite of the metal on his skin, the weight of Thor's grip on his arm. He remembered how his head had begun to clear and if he'd had the opportunity, he could have opened his mouth and words he controlled would have come out. But the gag was already in place, and Thor was already speaking.

"You have done their people great harm brother, and they would seek to bring you to their justice. When you have paid for your crimes here, I will return and we will go home."

Loki could never tell if Thor's final words had been a promise or a threat. All he knew was that Thor was the one who'd sent him to this place. And he was certain that the justice the humans sought to inflict upon him would be his death.

How inventive these humans were. Thor must have learned the truth of his heritage and told his captors. That was the only explanation as to why they had taken him directly from Thor's custody and straight into a small humid room.

The heat had hit him right away, and he'd been strangely thankful that the mortals had removed his heavy clothes and replaced them by thin flimsy cloth. It wasn't long before it was clinging to his skin, soaked through with sweat. At first he'd thought it a ridiculous punishment, he'd only been uncomfortable at first. But then it began to seep into him, that never-ending heat. It made his head swim and ache, making it hard to think clearly. Then the nausea came, and he continued to be sick long after there was nothing left in his stomach. They did not feed him after that; rather they placed a needle within his skin that fed directly into his veins from a small hanging bag.

Next his limbs began to swell, his hands and bare feet looking strange to his own eyes. He knew enough to elevate them, so he took to laying on his back, his swollen feet propped up against the wall. It worked a little, but only just.

He was left alone almost entirely, the only visitors he had were the nameless men who came to replace the bag that fed him. To pass the time and get his mind off the heat, Loki would mentally go over complicated spells and rituals. Unfortunately his mind began to betray him as well, and he found it hard to concentrate. He tried instead to go over less difficult spells, and then he made lists in his head. Then he tried to recall stories Frigga used to tell him and Thor, and then songs. The songs were the easiest to remember for some reason. At times he could almost swear he could hear them still.

And then he had realized that he could hear them, because Frigga was in the room with him. He had opened his eyes one day and there she was, sitting on the ground, facing away from him and singing. Loki's heart had nearly stopped when he saw her, and with a weak arm he reached out to touch her but she was just out of reach. He tried to call her name, but his throat wouldn't work. He hadn't been able to speak in a long time, the humidity had gotten deep into his lungs and made it so hard to just breathe, speaking was out of the question. But she was right there, so Loki marshaled all of his remaining strength and moved his body closer to his mother. This time he could reach her, and did so with a shaking hand.

When she turned to face him, Loki found he had the ability to make at least some noise, and let out a cross between a wheeze and a shriek when he took in the creature's appearance. It was a Jotunn, a Jotunn dressed in his mother's clothes, singing with her voice and reaching for him with sad expression.

Loki jerked away and closed his eyes against the image, praying that the monster would leave. When he opened his eyes again, he was surprised to have gotten his wish, and he was alone in the room again.

That had been the first hallucination, but it had not been the last. Eventually Loki began to wonder if they were hallucinations at all. They were so very real. One day Odin was there, staring at him silently while Loki tried to choke out an apology. Tried to explain that he'd never meant for things to go so far. Another day Thor did not even give him a chance to try and speak, instead he listed off all of Loki's crimes. All of them. Every terrible thing he had ever done, even the ones Thor couldn't have possibly known about. He told Loki how he deserved this punishment. That he never learned, never belonged. That they had never been brothers.

Somehow, despite his dehydration, Loki found some tears to cry.

It all changed one day. The door to his cell opened, and remained open for some time, letting cool fresh air in. He ignored the several men that entered and turned his face towards the door, closing his eyes in bliss as he felt a breeze brush over his skin. There was noise from above, and subconsciously Loki knew they were doing something to the ceiling of his cell. He didn't care though. He shivered as cool air passed over his damp clothes, and gave him a delightful chill.

Then the men left, shutting the door and taking their beautiful air with them. Loki nearly wept again. Then the light turned on above him, and Loki wondered if they had removed the roof. Somehow, the mortals had harnessed the sun itself and brought it directly into his little room. The humidity burned up and disappeared and Loki gasped against the sudden dryness. He couldn't breathe!

It wasn't long before his skin blistered under the heat, burning and cracking wherever the light could reach. His lips dried out and cracked, and his vision faded out so he kept his eyes closed. He wouldn't last very long with this. A part of him felt joy at that thought, because at least then it would be over. But still, he didn't want to die.


	2. Chapter 2

Tony was elbow deep into circuitry when Bruce approached him. It had been a few months since the attack on New York, and despite telling Tony that he would only stay for a few days before going off on his own, Bruce was still around. Tony had shown off all of his toys with Pepper standing nearby with one of her bemused smiles, and practically gave the man a floor to himself with access to (some) of his personal labs. At first Bruce just fiddled around, investigating all the machines that Tony had custom built. Then something had clicked and Bruce threw himself into his own personal research. Something to do with the Gamma radiation of the Tesseract and Loki's scepter. Tony didn't really ask much; he just supplied whatever Bruce asked for and went on with his own work. The scientist had seemed content, if not quietly happy, but then recently that had changed around the same time that Loki had broken out of whatever cell Shield had stuck him in.

Thor had been pissed when they were told. Steve started making attack plans for when Loki came back for revenge. Natasha and Clint had gone all steely faced and Tony wasn't going near either of them if he could help it. Bruce's reaction had been an anti-reaction, as in there wasn't one. He just kept watching Fury as the man talked everyone down.

He'd been especially reserved since then, and that was quite an accomplishment considering that it was Bruce. Everyone else went and handled the news in their own way. Clint was currently the proud owner of one of the largest custom made arrow collections, and practiced daily on a target with Loki's face on it. Thor spent nearly every minute of every day with his girlfriend. Apparently Loki had threatened to visit the woman in the heat of a previous battle, and Thor was taking the threat very seriously.

Bruce had hid himself away at a bank of computers, and hadn't ventured out much until now.

"What do you need?" Tony asked and Bruce shifted uncomfortably. Cute.

"Ah, actually… you."

Tony swivelled around in his chair and gave Bruce a filthy grin. "I knew you'd come around eventually." Bruce snorted but Tony kept on going. "So how do you want me? On the workbench? There's a cot in the corner if you're feeling traditional. Not in the cars though, I don't think they could take it."

"Tony-"

"Yes darling?"

Bruce was smiling though, which was the point after all. "I need you to break into the Shield database." he admitted, a grin still affixed to his face.

"Done."

"Really?"

Tony snorted at his disbelieving tone. "Well yeah, I do it every Monday, or during really boring meetings, or if I need to do something really mundane like solitaire. It's fun!"

"You consider breaking into high security government secret files fun?"

"Well it depends what you're looking for. For example, did you know Steve's birthday is July 4th? I'm not making this stuff up, I swear! I can't wait for this summer. Tell me, is getting him a big red white and blue cake with a stripper in it considered too tacky?"

"I... you know what? Go for it, just make sure there's pictures."

Tony smirked and spun around on his stool once. "So, back to business. We've established that I have no moral compunctions against breaking into Shield computers. The question now is... what do you want to know?"

Bruce took a moment to wipe the grin off his face and leaned against a nearby worktable. "I want to find out what happened to Loki."

Tony frowned. "You mean like how he got out?"

"More like 'if'?"

Now things were getting interesting. Tony made a 'continue' gesture and Bruce took one of his deep calming breath before he did.

"I've been monitoring basic Shield activity since we were told about the breakout. I figured we'd get called back, maybe to try and find a way to trace his uh, his magic I guess. But we didn't get called. No one did. And there weren't any extra agents sent out looking for him. I thought that was kind of strange. It's not really like Shield to take the sit and wait approach. And then when you take into account the timing..."

"Timing?"

"Oh, well, before he broke out, Thor had been bugging Fury about seeing Loki. I guess just to make sure he was secure or even if he was all right. Apparently Shield had been putting it off stating that solitary confinement means no visitation rights. They'd just agreed to let Thor go see him when Loki allegedly broke out. I just... I know they're supposed to be the good guys, but I really don't trust Shield."

Neither did Tony, not that he needed to tell that to Bruce. Obviously the scientist already had some idea that his loyalties to the shady government branch that was Shield were less than sturdy, he wouldn't have approached Tony otherwise. Bruce had several very good and legitimate reasons not to trust the government, especially military government, but Tony didn't think that Bruce was being paranoid here either. "You think they still have him?"

"There's no way Shield would let someone like Loki go that easy. A handful of deaths reported, and some cosmetic damage to the front of a building? No, I'm almost certain they still have him. Which, by the way, I'm still all for. I mean, he deserves to be locked up for what he did. But hiding him? Lying to his brother, Thor, who helped us capture him in the first place? No, that's setting off a whole lot of alarms for me."

Same for Tony. He stood up and strode over to his main work desk and with a gesture he activated all of the monitors. "Well, let's see what we can find then shall we?" he said, his voice deadly serious. He could think of several reasons why a government agency would cover up Loki's imprisonment, and absolutely none of them were good.

Hacking into Shield wasn't exactly as easy as he'd made it out to be, especially what he was doing. Sure, some stuff was a breeze, like altering cafeteria orders so that the kitchens of the helicarrier were filled to the brim with mini weenies. The deep dives into secret files were much more difficult, and way more dangerous. He could not be detected, there were only so many things Pepper could get him out of but Tony was pretty sure that this wouldn't be one of them. It took hours, with Jarvis running secondary algorithms to cover his tracks as he snooped around. What he found in some of those files were very interesting indeed. There was a file on the Avengers, different from the ones he'd already peeked at. These files included methods to stop each member if they went rogue, including him. He made note of the specialized EMP Shield had constructed and would start working on counter measures as soon as he was done here. The list they had on Bruce was longer, and included shooting him into space as a permanent solution. Bruce had gone a little pale when he read his list, but thankfully he didn't turn green and Tony pressed on. The official files for Loki stated the he'd been placed in a vibranium cell, with round the clock guards and only one entrance. Each day he was fed three meals, which were delivered through a small slot. The blueprints of the cell showed it to be of average size with a bed, toilet and sink.

It was a decoy file. Tony knew this when he saw that the cell was supposed to be fitted with six separate cameras for supervision, but there were no vid files recorded. Dread filling his gut, Tony kept searching. It was an hour later when he finally found it.

"Got something!" he said without turning from the screens. Bruce pulled himself from the cot where he'd been napping lightly, and trudged over to where Tony sat. "What did you find?"

"A specialized holding cell, still being tested out. They've got a test subject in it though, and guess how long he's been in there?"

"I'm guessing since we brought Loki in?"

"To the date. I got everything here, schematics, medical observations, aaaand video!" he said with flourish, tapping one last illuminated key. The middle, and largest, monitor was suddenly filled with the scene of the inside of the testing cell and Tony felt as if he'd been punched in the lungs by the Hulk.

"Jesus..." he heard Bruce breathe from behind him. "It that... that isn't Loki is it?"

Tony could understand what he meant. The poor creature laying on the floor of the cell looked nothing like the God they'd defeated months ago. Dressed in a filthy pair of scrubs, the figure was nothing more that skin and bones. Long hair matted with grease and sweat clung to red, sun ravaged skin. They couldn't see his face, as the figure had one arm shielding as much of his head as possible.

"What did they do? Stick him in a microwave?" Bruce asked incredulously, his eyes already moving over the medical observations that Tony had pulled up.

"More like an oven," Tony corrected, his eyes taking every detail of the schematics. "They've got him under a high powered UV lamp, and the cell is kept at a constant 113 degrees. They've been slow cooking him for months."

Bruce cursed softly, and Tony knew that he was thinking that it could easily have been Bruce in that room. If the Hulk hadn't been useful, if he hadn't been needed...

Time to sidetrack that train of thought, instead Tony squinted at the medical files. From what he was seeing, it didn't look like Loki was going to last much longer. "Why a hotbox?" he asked suddenly as the thought came into his mind. "I mean, yeah, it's obviously effective, but why is that Shield's go-to torture device?"

Bruce was still immersed in the med files, but managed to answer anyways. "It says here that he's not from Asgard at all. He's something called a Frost Giant? I guess Thor really wasn't kidding when he said Loki was adopted."

"Huh, ok that makes sense. Put frosty in the homemade easy-bake and see what happens." The joke fell flat though as Tony continued to watch Loki's chest rise and fall in an irregular pattern. He glanced at Bruce, "How are we going to do this?"

"You mean break him out? I have no idea."

Tony grinned. Bruce wasn't even questioning whether or not they should, it was already decided that they would. "Well thankfully, I think I do. I need to call in a friend first though."


	3. Chapter 3

It took them about a day and a half to get everything organized. That entire time, the feed from the cell was playing one at least one monitor close to either man so they could keep an eye on the fallen god. Tony made a visit to some friends whom he swore they could trust with this. Arrangements had been made, and now Tony and Bruce were back in Tony's lab surrounded by screens and projections of floor plans, security feeds and most importantly... control boards.

Tony pressed a series of buttons and then on the hologram to his left, one of the heavy, security laden doors opened up. The petite figure marked in red walked through and Tony closed the door once they had passed.

"Ok, you're in the main level now. There should be some guards around you," Tony advised, one eye on a screen that showed video footage of the hallway with four guards in it. They were looking at the door strangely but weren't doing anything else.

Normally, a door opening by itself would have been cause for raising the alarm. Tony had taken care of that gleefully. Over the last six hours, the top secret Shield testing facility had been experiencing glitches in it's system. Doors all over the compound were swinging open and shut, elevators were going to the wrong floors, he even found an automated coffee dispenser and made it spit out liquefied tar every five minutes. So one door opening by itself didn't really do much other than start a conversation between the guards about how cheap the computers were.

"Ok, you're going to follow that hallway about twenty feet, then take a left. There's less guards down that way." they watched as the red figure skirted around the glowing blue holographic guards and turned down the specified hallway.

"Now, there's a couple of doors on the left, I need yo to go into the fourth one. Video feed is clear so the room is empty. I've opened the lock for you."

On two screens, he pulled up the security footage of the room. On one he saw the door open on it's own, on the other there was nothing. That was the feed that he was overlaying so that Shield security wouldn't see non automated doors opening on their own.

"Alright, I need you to put the device I gave you on the control board, somewhere out of sight, just in case."

"Im guessing it needs to be on metal though?" came Sue's quiet voice over the com.

"Well yeah, it sticks with magnets, so yes, metal would be preferable."

There was no response, but a moment later one of his monitors came to life showing new security codes. "You got this Jarvis?" he asked, going back to directing Sue towards the testing cells.

"Indeed sir. Transferring individual prison cell security codes."

"You couldn't get those through the main system?" Bruce asked, still focused on his job of monitoring Shield radio frequencies.

"They aren't on the main system. It's a back up security measure. The codes of the cells change every six hours, and the code is kept in those computers alone and they aren't connected to any other system. To get those codes, you have to be inside. Lucky for us, we have a ninja."

"Aww, you're sweet Tony." came Sue's voice again.

"Uh huh, now you're going to keep following the sweet sultry sound of my voice, down the next hallway. You're right next to the cell containment centre so be careful. I only count two guards at the moment but at least eight eggheads running the computers. I can't get them out so you're going to have to be quick. Reed? You guys in position?"

"Ready whenever you are Suzzie." answered Ben Grimm.

"Sue, remember, when you're using the laser, try not to look directly at the beam."

There was no answer on Sue's end, but that was because she was already in the main room with all the scientists. There was more than one specialized cell, and they were all located down one hallway branching off from the main lab. There were two guards down there as well, but they were isolated. Tony covered the security feed to show the two guards still patrolling while Sue took the real ones out. When the hologram showed her standing outside of Loki's cell, Tony flexed his fingers.

"Ok, everyone get ready for the big finale. Sue? I'm dropping the power in three... two..."

He hit a few buttons and almost all of the screens went dark. Tony and Bruce turned their attention the the hologram now, watching as the miniature versions of the staff scrambled to fix the black out. So far no one had noticed the missing guards.

The red figure that was Sue opened the door of Loki's cell and walked in. Over the connection they heard her gasp at the no doubt gruesome sight inside. After that she was all business. The plan was for Sue to surround Loki in one of her fields, and lift him out into the hall. They heard her grunt in effort. "Ugh, geeze this guy weighs a lot more than he looks!"

"Well, he is technically an alien," Reed mused on his headset. "It could be from a different bone density, or even-"

"Not helping." Sue ground out as she moved herself and Loki out of the cell.

"Are you going to be able to lift him out?" Bruce asked worriedly.

"Im going to have to. Ben? Get ready, I'm about to fire."

There were a few tense moments as Tony watched some guards start to make rounds closer to the cell. The power would return in a minute, less than that actually. Sue had to 'move.

Over the com, there came the sound of a low pulsing hum and when it cut off Ben Grimm was chuckling. "Perfect shot, I'm right above ya now. Can you make it?"

"You need to move now Sue," Tony urged. "You've got security heading right for you."

"On my way up," was her only response.

The hologram showed her floating upwards, projected by her own forcefield, through the perfect hole she had made through the entire compound. The fantastic four's quinjet was hovering invisibly right above it, and Tony breathed a sigh of relief when Reed's voice came through.

"Got them! Ben, get us clear!"

"Hows he look?" Tony couldn't help but ask. It was one thing to see the video, he couldn't imagine Loki was any better in person.

"Not good. I can't say anything for sure but I made sure to move a lot if the medical equipment in so I can give you a more detailed report later."

"Right, I'll be seeing you guys at the rendezvous in a couple days after I clear our tracks. Thanks again for doing this."

"You're welcome. See you soon."

After that the communication shut off and Tony looked at Bruce with a grin. "And that, my friend, is how you break the worlds largest criminal out of the governments most protected top secret prison without ever leaving the comfort of your own home."


	4. Chapter 4

On the outside, the Stark family home was a grand three story mansion with a rather large lawn surrounded by a large stone fence that blocked out most of the traffic noise from the city. The gardens were well tended and extensive, with large oak trees framing the house. The house itself was a beautiful red brick, with dark brown accents on the window sills. The windows themselves had been imported from an old manor somewhere in England and glinted in the New York sun.

What you couldn't tell just from looking at it was all the adjustments Tony had been making below the actual house. It had started small, only retrofitting the cellar to a state of the art workshop. Not that he'd actually needed it at the time. In fact the only reason the house had said workshop was because he'd told pepper to make sure that all of his estates were equipped with one. She'd included the mansion only because he owned it. He hadn't set foot in the building in well over a decade. Since the attack on New York though, Tony had taken another look at the place.

This was what Tony had been working on in the past few months while Bruce was busy doing his own research. Under the house, under the new workshop even, were three enormous underground floors. There was a gym, complete with an Olympic-size swimming pool, sauna and steam room. There was a fully functional operating theatre, an Arsenal, a firing range. A battle training area that could withstand almost all of his weapons, a secure computer room that held backdoor passes into Shield, and the Pentagon. There were three cells that even the hulk would have a hard time breaking out of. There was even a war room. And the whole thing was powered by an arc reactor separate from any other power source.

He'd kept the whole thing a secret from everyone but Pepper.

Taking the shiny new elevator down to the fourth level, Tony stepped out and was immediately greeted by the beautiful Sue Richards (ne-Storm).

"Afternoon Tony."

Tony gave the woman one of his best grins and held his arms out. "So what do you think of the place?"

"It's great! Reed's been playing with all your toys."

"Well you know if you guys ever need a place to stay..."

"I think I'd miss windows," She declined with a smile. "and my husband. Somehow he got ahold of some schematics of yours and he's been buried in them ever since."

"Schematics?"

Sue wrinkled her nose. "Some... Rocket shaped thing that Reed tried to explain. I got lost at 'trans-cybernetic-crossplatform'."

"Oh yeah, I've been meaning to have him take a look at those. Did he happen to see the-" Sue held up a hand to interrupt him.

"Don't ask me, you're going to have to talk to him, and later. We have more important things to discuss, don't you think?"

Tony sighed regretfully and nodded. "What's the situation?"

"Come with me and I'll show you."

Tony followed the blonde, not so discretely checking out her ass as he did so. Just because he was in a serious relationship with Pepper didn't mean he was blind. Sue led him into a room that had been converted into a temporary workspace. Tablets and computers covered the surface area and Sue handed him one containing medical documents.

"We've got him locked up in the holding cell you asked for, and Reed added his own touches for extra precaution, but honestly Tony? He's not going anywhere fast. We ran several scans and what we found wasn't good. He's got the most severe case of heat stroke anyone has ever had while still being alive. In fact, the only reason he isn't dead is because of his biology. You know how I was complaining how heavy he was? Well that's because his body is hyper dense and extremely resilient. His organs would have cooked through otherwise. As it is, he's fighting off long term dehydration, first degree burns on ninety percent of both arms and his feet. His immune system is shot so we have to keep the cell quarantined. He's already suffered two minor seizures and his lungs are a mess. There might be some internal scaring of the lungs which would lead to a number of problems later on."

Tony studied the images on the tablet in his hands, taking note of the smudges that marked the damaged area in Loki's lungs. "Problems how?"

"Well, it depends on the severity of the damage. If there is any sort of infection, which by the way, the chances of that are high considering how low his immune system is. He could develop anything from minor breathing restrictions, to full on asthma. But that's better than if there's scarring. Scarring in the lungs is dangerous because it can't be reversed and there is little you can do to treat it. And it leads to more serious problems later on. Because the scarred tissue can't work like regular tissue, it won't be able to transfer oxygen into the bloodstream. He could suffer a wide range of side effects from that, from shortness of breath to heart attacks."

Tony felt his eyebrows rise as she listed off all the side effects. "So what you're saying is...?"

Sue sighed unhappily. "I'm saying that we got him out of the hotbox, but he's not out of the fire yet. He hasn't regained consciousness yet. We've got him on a pretty powerful IV drip that Reed custom made for his biology. We also have him wrapped in ice packs to bring his core body temp down. There's not much else that can be done at this point. We can only wait to see if he wakes up on his own."

There was silence as Tony scrolled through the (extensive) notes the Richard's had compiled. "Ok," he said finally, "What do we do now?"

Sue shrugged, "Watch him for now, take care of any problems that come up. I'm guessing even if he gets better you're keeping him in that cell right?"

"Yeah," Tony agreed, "he's still a war criminal. He has the deaths of hundreds on his hands. He still deserves to be locked up, just..."

"Not like that? I know. I agree completely. I know Victor hasn't done damage to the same scale, but I wouldn't even wish that fate on him." Sue paused, and for a moment looked unsure of what she was saying. "Tony?"

"Hm?" he grunted, his attention back on the tablet.

"When I was getting him out, I passed by a few more cells that looked custom made. I mean, they weren't all ovens." Tony looked up at her when she paused and he knew what she was about to ask. "There was one, I just glanced at it, but it looked like... It was a freezer Tony."

Tony nodded. He knew exactly which one she was talking about.

"They made that one with my brother in mind, didn't they?"

Tony waited a beat before nodding again. "Yeah, it looks like they did. They have cells and back up plans for each of us. You should see the stuff they came up with for Bruce. Makes Loki's personal hell look like a small trip to the tanning bar." he gave her a small rueful grin. "Don't worry about it, I'm currently making my own 'back up plans', just in case. You're all getting a copy when I'm done, I promise."

She gave him a small weak smile in return. "Thanks Tony."

"It's what I'm here for,"

* * *

Thank you for everyone who reviewed! I'm glad you all are enjoying the story so far. Next chapter Thor comes in, and we actually get to see how Loki is doing. I've got the whole story planned out, and about half of it written, only, its the last half thats done and I need to finish the middle. Don't worry, I'm getting there though. I hope to continue updating every monday. Keep letting me know what you think, and if there is something you would like to see I'm always open to suggestions if it will fit in the storyline!


	5. Chapter 5

Loki still looked messed up, but on the mend at least. When Tony slipped into the cell to see with his own eyes what had been done to the little criminal there ended up not being much to see. His upper torso and arms were covered by specialty bandages that were blue in colour and had the duel purpose of healing his burns and protecting against infection. A light sheet covered his stomach and legs, and his feet were wrapped in the same bandages. The chain that had linked the cuffs on Loki's wrists had been removed by Reid who had claimed that they did nothing but get in the way. As long as the cuffs themselves remained intact and blocking his magic, there was no harm in removing the chain. Despite his injuries, despite _everything_, Tony had refused to allow those to be taken off.

Loki had managed to protect most of his face from burning directly, but the skin was still quite damaged and very red. More bandages were wrapped around his eyes which had suffered from broken capillaries. They would heal, and his sight wouldn't be too affected, but they needed time to heal first. Hence the bandages keeping his eyes shut. Ice packs surrounded him, keeping his inflamed skin cool.

The small cell echoed with the sound of Loki's labored breathing. An oxygen mask sat gingerly on the damaged skin around his nose and mouth, the tubes from that intertwining with the IV that feed into his arm. In addition to that, there were sensors attached to different parts of his body, monitoring his heart rate, breathing, and brainwaves. All of which had been pretty consistent for the last few days.

The members of the Fantastic Four had moved back to their own tower, leaving Loki in Tony's care. It was too suspicious for them to stay any longer, so Tony had told Pepper that he was moving into the house early, just to test it out. His assistant/girlfriend raised a perfectly formed eyebrow at his deceleration but didn't argue it. She wouldn't be joining him for two or three weeks due to business out of town. Instead, it was Bruce who came with him, and Tony was glad for the company. Tony could change bandages and feed an IV, but anything more medically complicated than that and he was screwed. Bruce fell into the role of doctor like a small duck to a large pond, and kept a close eye on Loki's lungs and burns. Tony did what was asked of him, but otherwise stayed out of the way and busied himself with finishing the work on the mansion.

The day Nick Fury showed up had been nerve wracking, but well played by all parties in the end. Tony had come up from his workshop to grab so food for himself, and had practically tripped over the one eyed man in the sitting room.

He couldn't remember exactly what had happened, but he did not scream. He had yelled a lot, but he did _not_ scream.

Fury had been his usual self, and questioned Tony on what he was doing in a house he hadn't set foot in for years. Tony told him the truth, mostly because it was more fun to watch Fury's reaction.

"It's my home for the Avengers! Do you like it? My first thought was the tower, but then Pepper said I wouldn't be able to keep my name on the building, which of course is crazy so I went with the next best, or rather, closest property."

Fury was wholly unimpressed. "You're making a base for the Avengers?" he asked in a deadpan voice.

"Well, not everyone had a dozen properties laying around. Bruce kinda needs a place to stay, and I'm sure while Thor loves cuddling with his girlfriend on a tiny double bed, I literally have rooms fit for royalty."

"You do realize the Avengers initiative is a Shield program, and when needed, will be run out of a Shield base?"

"You mean your floating castle in the sky? The one that your archer nearly put into the ground with _two_, that's right! Two little arrows? Yeah, no thanks. Besides, this place isn't meant to be a base," _It was._ "and Shield still gets to call the shots on the Avengers." _They don't_. "I'm just making a safe place for superheroes like myself to put their toothbrushes. I'll give you the full tour once all the construction is finished. We have a pool! Do you have a pool?"

Fury left soon after that, but not without the typical amount of glaring and sudo-threats.

Tony sighed in relief when he was gone, then did a full scan of the premises to make sure he hadn't left any devices behind.

A few days after Nick's visit, Tony decided they needed to call Thor in. Loki was healing very slowly, and had yet to regain any sort of consciousness. He and Bruce has tried talking to the comatose god, but had yet to garner any reaction. The hope was that Thor might have better luck. Once, you know, he stopped yelling.

()()()()

"It is a fine home Stark, and an impressive fortress." the large blonde complimented once Tony had given him a short tour.

"Glad you think so, I designed it with all of us in mind. There's a room here for you as well if you want."

Thor's smile lessened, "While I am grateful for the offer, I cannot leave Jane now. It is too dangerous. She is not a warrior like you or I, or even Lady Natasha. She is vulnerable, and my brother knows this. She is not safe while Loki's whereabouts are unknown."

Tony gave the man a half smile. "Well, since you've brought it up, I should probably tell you Loki's whereabouts aren't so unknown."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I know where Loki is. In fact, he's about thirty feet directly below where you're standing." Thor blinked in confusion and Tony sighed. "He's in one of the holding cells I was telling you about."

"You caught him?" Thor asked incredulously.

"Not really," Tony frowned, "caught is the wrong term. Rescued is more accurate."

"What do you mean?"

"Buddy, you're gonna want to sit down for this, and please refrain from smashing the place apart until the story is finished please."

Tony explained everything. How Bruce had suspected foul play from the beginning, and how the Fantastic Four had helped get Loki out. He nervously showed Thor a clip from the security cameras from inside Shield's cell. When the thunderer didn't immediately fly into a fit of rage, Tony continued by listing off the injuries tallied and how they were being treated. In the end, Thor was sitting tense in his chair, his hammer gripped in both hands as his fingers flexed over the leather of the handle.

"Is this how mortals treat their captives?" he asked finally and Tony scrambled to answer.

"No, no it's not. That's why we broke him out. Keeping him locked up in a cell, yes, that is the standard procedure with prisoners. Torturing them? Not even close to ok."

"And the men who did this to him, they still live?"

That one Tony hesitated before carefully answering. "...yes. Yeah we didn't kill any of them. Because again, that's not what we do."

"They tortured my brother!" Thor suddenly bellowed, his voice ringing off the walls. "They lied to me when I asked what they intended to do to him and lied again so that I would think that he had broken free. If you had not rescued him, would they not have continued until he was dead?"

Tony put his hands up to show he was unarmed when Thor stalked forward menacingly. "Buddy? I know. I get it, I know exactly where you're coming from and you don't even know half of the story yet. I also know that where you're from, it is common practice to smite you're enemy so they can't hurt you again. But Shield isn't an army. It's sneaky, and going in and killing a bunch of scientists who were just doing their job isn't going to stop Shield from doing it again. It will just piss them off and then you'll be on their list right next to Loki. We have to be _very_ careful how we handle this. No one else knows that Loki is here. I brought you here because your brother needs you. You can't help him if you're out smashing Shield bases."

Thor was breathing like a winded bull, and for one terrifying moment Tony thought the man hadn't heard a word he'd said, but then Thor lowered the hammer so that is hung loosely from one meaty fist.

"May I see him?"

"Absolutely."

()()()()

To say that Loki was aware of his surroundings would be a rather large stretch of the word aware. He had no distinct thoughts; instead his entire sense of understanding was based off of feelings and impressions. Loki was aware that he was in pain. He knew that moving even a finger lit up his nerves with fire, and that each and every breath was a struggle. He could not even open his eyes for they were weighed down.

He also knew that the heat was gone and that cold pressed in on him from all sides like an embrace. He was in pain, this was true, but each time his mind swam out of unconsciousness he found he hurt a little less.

Sometimes he heard noises, but they were muffled and he couldn't understand what the noises meant at all. It was hard to concentrate on anything for long anyways and Loki often slipped back into a state of unconsciousness.

And then he was made aware of something moving on his face, and a flare of pain as something was moved. A pressure from around his mouth and nose that he hadn't even known was there suddenly was gone, and the air that he breathed in smelled different. He took a few more breaths, getting used to the new smell that accompanied the air when suddenly something hard and wet and cold touched his lips. His breathing hitched as his senses struggled to understand what he was feeling, but the new object did not pull away. Instead it smoothly glided over his bloody chapped lips, the cold numbing the pain and leaving a trail of wetness wherever it touched. The wet leaked down into his mouth and his tongue automatically searched out the moisture. The water tasted wonderful, and Loki felt relief flood through him as it continued to slowly melt past his lips. The ice, for it had to be ice a part of him acknowledged, was moved slowly over his lips. He struggled to open his mouth further but the ice was suddenly gone.

He had no way of knowing that the ice had simply melted away. All he knew was that it was gone, and he was suddenly aware of how parched his throat was. He tried to speak, but all that came out was a ragged sounding whine. Loki withstood the pain it caused him to tilt his head to the side a fraction, his mouth opening wider and hoping whomever had given him the ice in the first place could understand that he wanted more. That he _needed_ more.

And then more ice was placed on his mouth, and Loki closed his lips around it gratefully. While the water melted, soothing his dry throat, a warm weight settled on his head and began stroking his hair in a comforting manner. When that ice was gone, another piece replaced it, and then another. For a brief time, Loki knew peace.

* * *

I hope this answered some questions you guys had as to how Thor would take the news. Don't worry, there is more angst to come. Just a quick notice though, Next monday I don't think I will be updating this story. I've been writing like crazy, but unfortunately on two other stories. One is a one shot from a previous story of Lost Boys (Halloween Special!) and a two shot that was inspired by a norse kink that ate my brain. I will hopefully have something to post the following weekend though, do not fret, this story will continue! but if I don't see you, Happy Halloween!


	6. Chapter 6

Tony was in his workshop again when Bruce sought him out looking for his help.

"I need an extra pair of hands and Thor's already left for New Mexico." Bruce explained as he led Tony towards Loki's cell. "I just need someone to hold his head up while I unwrap the bandages around his eyes,"

Thor hadn't wanted to leave. In fact he had raged against the very idea of it but Tony and Bruce had stood firm in their argument that Thor couldn't afford to appear to suddenly loose interest in Jane. Shield would most certainly be watching them, and Thor's sudden residence in the mansion was sure to look strange enough. They had to keep up appearances from before. Thor had to look like he was still worried that Loki would attack Jane at any moment, and guard her as he had been.

"If Shield gets in here, if they think for a second that we have Loki, He'll be gone." Tony explained, preferring to use blunt honesty in the face of Thor's stubbornness. "And the likelihood of us finding him, let alone breaking him out again is nil."

The argument had gone on for a while, but in the end Thor conceded that he would leave the next morning under the promise that while he was gone Tony and Bruce would take extra care of his brother.

And that was how Tony ended up in Loki's cell, awkwardly cradling the fallen gods head as Bruce carefully undid the bandages that had been protecting his eyes. By now most of the tubes and air masks had been removed as they were no longer needed. Loki's lungs had healed as much as they were going to by this point, and the single IV drip contained a painkiller.

Tony made sure to keep the majority of contact on the sides of Loki's skull, where his hair had protected his scalp from most of the effects of the UV light and the damage was less severe. When Loki had been brought in, any skin that had been left out under the lamp was a mess of blisters and burns that was obviously quite painful. Loki had managed to save most of his face from the worst of it, but his neck had suffered terribly. Tony couldn't imagine how painful it would be, so he was careful not to move Loki's head too much as he lifted it up so that Bruce could undo the bandages. Still, despite his efforts, a small barely heard moan came from Loki's lips and Tony grimaced. It was moments like this one that made it difficult to remember that the man whom they were trying so hard to help was the one responsible for so much destruction. For the deaths of hundreds of people, Coulson included.

When the last of the bandages came off, Tony eyed the damage critically. His eyelids looked like they suffered from a terrible sunburn but thankfully that was the extent of the surface damage. He knew from the medical reports the Richards had left that there had also been some problems with the eyes themselves, but thankfully nothing permanent. The gauze had been put on mostly so that his eyes would remain closed even if Loki regained consciousness.

Now however, Bruce was leaning forward and gingerly parting the slumbering god's eyelids to gauge the healing process. A small flashlight was held up with his other hand and Tony was glad to hear the approving noises the scientist made a minute later.

"Looks good, we can probably leave the bandages off now. Most of the capillaries have healed themselves, and there doesn't seem to be any cataracts developing."

Tony leaned in to peek and frowned at what he saw. "Remind me, what are the effects of long term exposure to UV lighting on eyes?"

Bruce shrugged, apparently nonplussed by the question. "Lots of things, Photokeratitis; which is basically a sunburn on your eyes, to cataracts and pterygium and pinguecula formation. Those are really not fun, and hard to treat without direct surgery."

"What about changing eye colour?"

Bruce frowned. "Uh, not that I- no. No not really. Eye colour is in your DNA, it can't really be altered from outside forces."

"His eyes are green."

Bruce stared at him and Tony did not resist the need to roll his eyes.

"His eyes are green now. They were blue before." Really, Bruce was smarter than this. They were Science Bros, he should not be this slow on the uptake. Tony took just enough time to carefully lower Loki's head back onto the pillow before he turned and walked right out of the cell, making a bee-line for his workshop and trusting that Bruce would follow.

He did. By the time Bruce walked in, Tony already had Jarvis bring up the images from the day of the invasion from the inside of his penthouse. The Loki on the screens was a harsh reminder of how much damage Shield had caused the god. The invading Loki didn't look in the peak of health either, but he still looked a hell of a lot better than the Loki downstairs. Tony waited for Bruce to come up to the screen before he enlarged the central image.

Blue eyes glittered with malice from Loki's shallow face. It was a huge difference from the forest green that Tony had peeked at from over Bruce's shoulder.

"So, either we're missing something here," Tony started as Bruce leaned in for a closer look, "Or we have Loki's remarkably identical twin brother with different coloured eyes."

Bruce muttered something under his breath that might have been a curse in some obscure language.

"Sorry- one sec," Bruce shifted the screen over to the side and brought up another and started flicking through files at a rate that even Tony had trouble following.

"He doesn't actually have a twin right?" Tony asked, only half joking.

Bruce didn't answer. Instead he continued flicking through files until finally finding the right one and spreading it out. Tony looked up to see video footage of Clint from when he had infiltrated the helicarrier and nearly brought it down.

"After all the craziness died down in new york, there was a team put together in Shield to study what little information we got on Loki's Sceptre and how it controlled Clint and the others. I was called on it only briefly, mostly to talk about the gamma rays. There was someone else they talked to upstate but as far as I know they haven't learned much. There are some mutants out there who can control minds, but whatever Loki did it was different. The thing is, in most cases when a mutant is controlling someone else, there is no way to know if that person is acting of their own free will or not. Loki's method left some visible changes to each of his victims. The most obvious of them is the eyes." Bruce zoomed in on Clint's face and a familiar pair of blue eyes looked back at Tony.

Shit. The implications of what Bruce was saying was starting to sink in, and Tony didn't like it one bit.

"Every single person who was taken over by Loki was reported to have a rather particular shade of blue eyes, and they only reverted to their original colour after receiving a forceful blow to the head."

"So you think Loki was brainwashed as well? And when the Hulk put him into the floor, it knocked him free of the spell… but see, he was still his snarky self when we brought him in." Tony pointed out. He didn't admit it to anyone at the time, but he'd been kind of amused when the defeated god crawled out of the crater the Hulk had put him in and asked for a drink.

Bruce shook his head. "It took a hour or two for Clint to shake off the brainwashing. Going by that time frame, by the time Loki would have been able to think for himself he was already gagged."

"And we were handing him off to Shield to be tortured." Tony finished, his voice bitter.

()()()()

An hour later, Bruce was on the surface level of the mansion when the doorbell rang. This event was such an oddity that it wasn't until the doorbell rang again that Bruce realized there was someone at the mansion door. In Bruce's defence, not only had it already been a difficult morning, but also there was a front gate that barred anyone who didn't have authorization. And anyone who had authorization would usually just walk right in without ringing the doorbell. This of course begged the question; Why did they even have a doorbell? But Bruce focused more on the immediate situation instead.

Tony was somewhere downstairs, so it was up to Bruce to answer it and on his way he went through a mental list of who it could possibly be. (he could have simply asked Jarvis but really, compared to what else he had to occupy his mind, this was a more pleasant endeavour)

By the time he had actually reached the door, he was fairly certain he knew who he would find on the other side. It was a very short list of those whom Tony had granted Authorization for the mansion. And on that list there was only one person who would be so polite enough to knock even when he'd already been granted access to the grounds.

Sure enough, when Bruce opened the door Steve was smiling that small hopeful smile of his that reminded Bruce of a dog his neighbour had when he was a kid. A vintage looking duffle bag was slung across his shoulder.

"Dr. Banner," Steve greeted, his hand coming out.

Bruce shook it and opened the door further to let him in. "I think considering what we've all been through, we can probably all go by our first names now." He gestured to the bag. "So it looks like you got Tony's invitation too."

Steve gave a half shrug. "Yeah, I needed to think about it for a while but he talked me into it. Besides, it's probably better if we're under the same roof for when Loki eventually shows up."

"Yeah… about that,"

Sometime later, Bruce decided that he was a bad person. It was an unavoidable feeling really, given the situation. Bruce had invited Steve in, let him put his bags down and explained to him as nicely as he could that they had Loki and the circumstances in which they came to have him. At first Bruce had thought between telling Thor and telling Steve, Steve would be the easier option and Tony had dealt with worse having to tell Thor what had happened to his little brother. But then about half way through the story, Bruce realized how wrong he was. He was basically explaining to an American Soldier that the American government had imprisoned and tortured a man to the point of near death, a possibly innocent man. And he wasn't just explaining this to any American soldier. This was _the_ American soldier.

The expressions that crossed over Steve's face during the explanation made Bruce feel guilty, despite the fact that he'd done everything he could to right the situation.

He had finished explaining why they thought that Loki was possibly innocent and was near the end of outlining the list of injuries he'd accumulated, and Steve had yet to say a word. Finally, Bruce ran out of things to say, and instead folded his hands on the countertop and waited for Steve to speak.

Bruce wasn't expecting to see him smile.

It wasn't a happy smile, or a sick one, just… for a moment Steve's lips twitched up and he seemed almost relieved.

"You know the worst thing I think about finding out about this whole thing is?" the solider asked and Bruce gave a small shake of his head, not sure what to expect.

Steve's face grew solemn, "The worst thing is that when you told me what Shield had done, I didn't feel surprised."

Bruce looked down at the countertop feeling grim. He knew the feeling of being betrayed by your own government, but that lesson had been hard won.

"So much has changed," Steve continued slowly, "the way people see the world has changed, the way we treat each other… but at the same time, I think I'm really happy. Because as much as everything else has changed, this hasn't. Even when you guys thought Loki was evil you still rescued him. Because torturing someone, anyone, is still wrong. I'm just- I'm really happy that at least that hasn't changed."

Steve looked up to meet Bruce's eyes and the scientist did his best to return his weak smile.

"Well, thats… good. I guess. Just, a piece of advice? I wouldn't bring up the subject of torture in current times in Tony's earshot." Steve's eyebrows rose at the warning so Bruce tried to explain himself a bit more. "It's kind of a hot button issue with him. I don't know how much you heard about him from the Shield files, but he was kidnapped in the middle east a couple years back. I don't know the details, only that the Iron Man was born in those caves."

Steve nodded, his eyes distant as he thought that over. "Alright, so what's the plan? I can't imagine we can hide Loki here forever."

"Tony has some ideas, the plan was to keep Loki locked up downstairs until he was well enough to move. Then Thor was going to take him back to Asgard and well out of Shield's jurisdiction."

"He's still locked up?" Steve questioned and Bruce grimaced.

"Yeah, well, we haven't had much time to really discuss that. We only really just figured out he might be innocent. We have no real way to prove it. Tony wants to talk to Thor before we do anything drastic like let him out of his cuffs."

"But as long as the cuffs are on him, he's pretty powerless right?"

"Uh, yeah. Especially now."

"So leave the cuffs on and let him out of the cell."

"Steve, we could leave the door unlocked and he wouldn't go anywhere. He hasn't regained any sort of consciousness since we brought him in."

Steve put his captain face on, "All the more reason to move him to a different room. When he wakes up, the last thing he's going to want to see is a cell. At least let him be in a room with windows. I'm pretty sure that there aren't a lack of beds in this place."

Bruce couldn't really argue with that, and after letting Tony know what they were doing he and Steve carefully lifted Loki onto a moving stretcher. Tony was grim faced when they found him, and told them in short precise words which room they could use. They left him alone to deal with whatever emotions he was dealing with at the moment, and transferred Loki to a more comfortable room on the second level of the house. Jarvis was installed in sensors in every room of the mansion, so they could keep an eye on him without having to be in the room itself. Bruce checked the IV one more time, making sure that nothing was dislodged in the move before they went back to the kitchen to go over how they were going to tell Thor.

* * *

Next chapter Loki finally wakes up! Thank you to everyone who reviewed and all your input! Please keep it up!


	7. Chapter 7

When Loki finally regained consciousness, it was not a pleasant experience. The first thing he registered was _pain_. But rather than drop back into unconsciousness, he fought past it and slowly opened his eyes a fraction. Slowly his thoughts began to form in some kind of order and Loki blinked again when his eyes did not seem to work. Thankfully he was alone, and Loki furiously looked about the room he was in through blurry eyes. Eventually the world came into focus though his eyes were sore and Loki took in his new prison.

It was strange looking, for a prison cell. The bed he lay upon was soft and large, and the rest of the furniture was of a well polished dark wood. tall windows lined one wall letting in beams of sunlight and another door was open to reveal what looked like the makings of a bathroom. There was even a bookshelf though it was empty. The whole room gave off the feeling of being long empty until his sudden residence. The only thing that seemed to be out of place was a chair that sat beside the bed. It was empty now.

A plastic tube was stuck inside his arm, and he yanked it out impatiently, wincing at the sharp pain this action caused. Sitting up was probably a mistake, and Loki nearly blacked out from the effort. Still, he wouldn't be Loki if he wasn't stubborn, and so swallowing the sounds of pain that had suddenly leapt to his throat he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and tried to stand up. He was not prepared for the agony that overcame him when his feet touched the ground. Black spots edged in on his already shaky vision and Loki looked down to see his bare feet were wrapped in a white gauze. His arms were the same he realized and Loki inspected the burns underneath them for a moment while he recovered from his attempt.

Eventually he had to try again, and this time he managed to stay on his feet, though his legs shook with the effort. Hobbling over to the window, Loki discovered that it was locked and it was a bit of a fall to the ground below. At least in his current condition. A quick check of all the drawers and shelves turned up nothing, no weapons and no further information on where he was and who had brought him there.

The door to the room was not locked, Loki noted with a fair bit of surprise. Either those that held him were not aware of how dangerous he usually was, or knew exactly how weak and powerless he currently was and felt no need for further reinforcements. He wasn't sure what was better.

The hallway beyond was empty, though that did not mean that there could not be spells in place. Even still, there was little Loki could do in that case in his condition. And staying inside the room was not an option as Loki was not about to wait around for his captors to come find him.

Every step was agony, but Loki had a great deal of practice of ignoring the pain. Instead he focused on listening for any sounds or indication that someone was coming his way. Fortunately the hall remained empty. He tried one of the doors that he passed but it only contained similar decor as his room. He didn't bother with trying every window, it would have been a waste of his time and he could feel it running out. The tremors that had started in his legs had started to encompass the rest of his limbs as well and Loki had no idea how much longer he would be able to remain upright. What he needed was to find a place to hide, recuperate as much as possible and try to escape once he was a little stronger. It was impossible to think any further than that, it was so hard just to stay focused on the one task as it was.

Unfortunately his luck ran out before his strength did, as when he carefully turned a corner, a door opened and a blonde man walked out and spotted him. Loki did not know the man, but his mind seemed to recognize enough to know that he was an _enemy_ and he did not give it time for thought. Loki turned and ran.

The man called out his name, and Loki could hear the sound of a pair of feet taking chase after him but Loki's legs were long and he easily took a lead. When he turned back down the original hallway, he dashed into another empty room and ducked to the side. The sound of pounding footsteps passed by and he knew he had fooled his pursuer. The trick was not likely to last long though, and Loki made for the windows. They were locked as well, but the night-table made short work of the glass. The sound of his escape was sure the attract even more attention, so Loki did not give himself time to pause before leaping to the ground below.

He nearly passed out again when his feet hit the grass, and he was forced to stop for a moment to fight for consciousness. Then he was running full tilt for the large stone wall that was on the other side of the enormous lawn. He heard the sound of someone hitting the ground behind him, and the following footsteps but Loki did not turn to check who was giving chase. He could feel his body slowing down, his strides becoming sluggish as the adrenaline that fuelled him started to run out. Then a hand was on his shoulder and pulling him back and down to the ground.

Loki's response was immediate and purely instinctive after hundreds of years of sparring with Thor and his friends. Loki spun around as he fell, kicking a leg out and sweeping his opponent off his feet. The same foot kept its momentum and swung up, around and then down onto the throat of his enemy, leaving the blond man stunned and gasping for breath as Loki scrambled away.

The wall was closer now, but for some reason Loki found himself gasping for breath as he ran for it. By the time he actually reached the wall, he had no chance of scaling it as he was doubled over wheezing and gasping. He had no idea what was happening, he couldn't be winded, even from that short run. It felt as though Mjolnir was on his chest once more and he could not expand his lungs enough to draw in air. He couldn't _breathe!_

His vision started to darken, and Loki fell to his knees, one hand braced against the stone wall that kept him from his freedom. The last thing he saw before he fell unconscious was a pair of boots, running towards him.

()()()()

Steve stayed close to Loki's bedside while Bruce re-wrapped his feet in bandages, cleaning the wounds as he went. The damage done to Loki's feet were bad, he would be feeling a great deal of pain when he eventually came around. An oxygen tank had been brought in as well, and was connected to the clear plastic mask that covered Loki's mouth and nose to help aid in his breathing.

Steve brought a hand to his throat, absently rubbing the spot that Loki's heel had collided with. It no longer hurt, but Steve really had to hand it to Loki, even crippled the guy could really fight back. Looking down at the injured god, he still couldn't believe that Loki'd had it in him to get that far.

Bruce finished the last bandage and sat back, looking over his work. "That should do for now. I'm probably going to see if I can up the pain meds he's on, because I don't think what we have him on now is going to be enough."

Steve nodded, but didn't take his eyes off of Loki. It was for this reason that he noticed the way Loki's face twitched. It was the only warning he got before suddenly long arms and legs were lashing out, kicking off the sheets and nearly knocking Bruce on his ass. Steve acted quickly, jumping up and doing his best to keep the thrashing to a minimum and pinning Loki's upper body to the bed. Loki countered by using his free arms to strike at Steve in all the soft spots, his eyes wide and panicked as he struggled.

"Knock it off Loki!" Steve shouted, straining to keep the weakened god in place. "It's ok! You're safe, no one is going to hurt you!"

But Loki wasn't listening, and it was only because of his weakened state that Steve was just able to hold him down. He kept trying to reach Loki, to make him understand that the threat was gone but Loki either didn't understand him or didn't believe him because he kept on struggling. Steve could only hold on until Loki eventually wore himself out which after a couple minutes eventually happened. Even after Loki stilled, Steve held on a moment longer just in case. His caution was for nothing, Loki didn't have any fight left in him. When Steve eventually stepped back, Loki was breathing hard, his eyes wide and focused.

"It's ok," Steve tried to placate him, raising his hands in a show of non violence. Loki's eyes shifted quickly from Steve to Bruce and back again, and he looked no less agitated. His whole body twitched when he realized that there was something on his face. His hands immediately went up to rip the mask off and Steve leapt forward to stop him.

"Don't," he said calmly, holding Loki's hands away even as the god struggled. "It's to help you breathe, it needs to be there."

The furious look that Loki gave him spoke volumes of what Loki thought of the mask but when Steve took his hands away, Loki did not reach to take it off again. Instead he kept his gaze bouncing from Steve to Bruce, clearly sizing them up and calculating whether or not he could beat them to the door. Even with the mask he could hear the slight wheeze to Loki's breath.

"It's called Asthma." Steve said abruptly, and Loki's attention focused on him. Steve put a hand to his own chest, "That feeling you had outside, where it feels like someone is sitting on your chest and you can't get enough air? It's something called Asthma. It's a… a sickness of your lungs. When you exert yourself, like sprinting for example, the airways leading to your lungs start to swell. It makes the air passages thinner and smaller, so less air gets in. There are other things involved too, but thats what happened when you made a run for it outside." Loki was completely focused on him now and his words. "It's because of the heat of the room that Shield kept you in. The humidity got into your lungs and caused some infection. The asthma was the result of that infection." he sighed and met Loki's eye regretfully. "You've been rescued from Shield, and Bruce and Tony have been doing everything they can to repair the damage you've suffered, but the asthma is a permanent problem. Your burns are healing and they will go away, but the asthma won't. I'm really sorry Loki."

There was no response, Loki continued to stare at him until Steve began to feel a little uncomfortable. Thankfully that's when Bruce stepped in, gaining the god's attention and asking him questions.

"Loki, do you know who we are?"

There was no response, verbal or physical and Steve and Bruce shared a look. Deciding to cover all of the bases, Bruce then explained who they were, about the Avengers, about the alien invasion and how they discovered him in Shield's care. He didn't go so far as to tell Loki that they thought that he was innocent, instead he leaned more on the fact that torture of any sort to anyone was not acceptable. Loki gave no reaction to his words, in fact he seemed almost lethargic after all of the struggling. Steve watched as the dark haired god turned his head away from them as his eyelids began to droop. Steve could only hope that when Thor got back that he'd be able to incite a reaction from his brother.

* * *

Yay! Loki's awake! And not at all a happy camper! What did you guys think? Please let me know! Next chapter we get a nice good look into Loki's head and what really happened to Loki in the void, and Thor comes back!


	8. Chapter 8

WARNINGS for graphic descriptions of torture.

* * *

Loki lay on his side in bed, his hands resting beside his face as he stared at them. He had woken in his position, feeling stiff but better. His breathing came easier, and he was grateful the mask was gone, but his eyes had focused on his still healing hands and his mind was flung back to a different place.

The hands he saw in his mind were not burned and healing, resting gently on soft sheets. He saw dark rock and grime. His fingers broken and bloody. His skin was littered with wounds that he could no longer heal.

When he had fallen, he had expected to die. He had expected the vastness of the void to tear him apart. He had not expected to be found, and certainly not by the creatures that found him. He was half dead when they came upon him. Monsters, true monsters, that lived in the cracks between the branches of Yggdrasil. They tore into him with glee, breaking him apart and watching as his magic put him back together.

It was not the first time he'd been tortured. A lifetime of following Thor into foolish battles had taken care of that. However, it had been the first time he'd been trapped with an enemy and known that no one was coming for him. There was no rescue being mounted, no one to hold on for. No one even knew he was alive let alone where he was.

He could only endure, and wait for a window of opportunity to escape. But months passed, and Loki grew worried. The creatures who clawed at him, who broke his bones as though they were twigs, they were the lesser beings. They were too wild, to chaotic. He'd heard them speak on an 'other'. Someone who gave them orders and told them to keep him alive.

He met this Other eventually. A creature shrouded from sight and full of mocking words. He wanted Loki's power. He promised the pain would stop if Loki would agree to serve their master. Loki declined.

The torture began anew. They peeled his skin from his body, cut chunks of meat out and watched it regrow. And still he endured. He would not be pawn to another, not he. Not Loki.

Then the Other returned, and this time he came with a sceptre. Loki did not recognize the make of the weapon, but he knew the stone that powered it. An Infinity gem.

Odin had told he and Thor about the stones that powered the gauntlet that resided in the weapons vault. Thor had been disinterested to learn of a magic glove, but Loki had learned all he could. He read everything he could about it, and because of this, he knew already that the stone the Other possessed could alter minds.

Loki fought against its power longer than what should have been possible, but he had to. He may not be as strong as Thor, but his might was in his mind, and he would not loose that to these monsters.

Over and over the Other tried to work the scepter's magic over him, to turn him into a mindless minion for his master. The only reason Loki remained was thanks to his magic.

And then they took that away from him.

Now, he lies in a bed on Midgard. His hands and arms are healing from the burns, but just under them he can see the thin scars that trail from the palm of his hand, down his wrists and up his arms that were covered with bandages. Similar scars were on his legs and torso, binding his magic completely. He could not reach for it, and it could not help him. They burned the marks into his skin so that they could not be undone, so it was permanent. Without his magic he could no longer heal himself, or stop the Other when he came again with the sceptre.

One of his last clear memories was of that foul creature bearing down upon him, sceptre in hand and a tooth filled smile on its face. After that he was left with only fractions of memories that he was still trying to piece together. The sceptre had been placed in his hands, and only with it could Loki use some of the magic that he was used to. Not that it had mattered; he'd been a mindless drone by then. A shadow of who he used to be. He remembered wanting to be king, and the Other saying that he could have Midgard if he could succeed in bringing them the tesseract. Why he'd wanted to rule over the earth he couldn't fathom.

It didn't matter anyways. He'd clearly failed. The spell the infinity gem broke somehow, but by the time he'd had enough control over his own mind, he'd already been gagged, and Thor was handing him to the mortals. Again he was tortured, and this time they used his cursed nature against him. And just as he was on the brink of death, just as he'd thought he would finally have peace… he was pulled back. They took him from the heat, wrapped him in bandages and nursed him back to health. He didn't know why. Perhaps they wanted him healthy so that they could do it again, or try another form of torture. Or maybe Thor had decided that the humans had punished him enough and he was to take Loki back to Asgard to face his punishment there.

Loki tried to imagine what he was to be faced with when he was eventually brought before Odin. Certainly his magic would have been bound if it weren't already. After that it could be anything. He could be placed in the dungeons where he would certainly waste away for centuries without dying. His status as a prince could be stripped from him, and he would be made to live in Asgard as a slave. Or the All father could banish him altogether, send him to the ruins of Jotunheim to face the tender mercies of his kin.

And Loki had no choice either way. He did not have the strength to fight his way free, not even from the few mortals that held him now. Even if he somehow managed to escape from this place, he had no magic to shield himself from Heimdall's sight. There was nowhere he could go that he couldn't be found. And there were no allies to turn to, no one who would shelter him. So he lay there, staring at his hands, waiting for whatever fresh hell fate would serve him next.

He heard the door open and wondered what the fair haired mortal wanted now, but it was Thor who walked into his sight.

"Loki?" Thor spoke quietly, but Loki did not look away from his hands. He only reacted to Thor's presence when Loki saw a large hand move to gently touch his own, and he pulled his hands closer to his body so that Thor could not reach them. Thor hesitated, his fingers hovering where Loki's hands had been before drawing back with a sigh.

"I am sorry that I was not here when you awoke." Thor apologized, "I had not planned to be away for long but my return was delayed."

If he was waiting for a response, Thor was going to be disappointed. Loki knew better than to hope that his foster brother would have been waiting at his bedside. He had learned long long ago that Thor was not the type to sit at a sick bed.

"My friends told me that you tried to escape," Thor began awkwardly, "I know that you would not wish to stay here, especially considering what the mortals have done to you…" At those words, Thor's voice took on a darker edge but Loki did not have the time to think of why, "but you must remain here. I promise you Loki, you are safe. I will not let any others harm you."

Again Thor reached out to place a comforting hand on him, but this time Loki's whole body flinched at the prospect of contact. There were too many memories fresh in his mind, so much violence that Loki immediately reacted.

There was a silence in the room before Thor finally took a step back from the bed. "I will be back Loki. My friends have asked to speak with me but I will return shortly." He paused, as though thinking something over. "Is there anything you would like me to bring you? Food? Or something to read? Tony Stark keeps an impressive home, and I have seen a small library. I can bring you some if you like…"

Loki did not answer. He did not trust his tongue to speak. He feared that if he were to open his mouth, all that would come out would be screams. So he stayed quiet, his eyes never straying from their blank stare with the wall. Eventually Thor left, leaving him to his solitude. That, at least, was much more familiar.

()()()()

Telling Thor about their discovery was a dangerous endeavour, so when Thor was checking up on his brother Bruce went about making the most calming tea he had in stock, Steve made sure to clear some of the more expensive items out of the designated room. Tony even went so far as to hack into the local traffic systems to re-route cars so that there was the minimum amount of civilians in the general area.

When Thor trudged in, his shoulders slumped and looking particularly glum, Bruce directed him to a comfortable seat and the three of them slowly took seats of their own. Even then, Tony started off by asking how Miss Foster was doing, how was the trip, what was the weather like over there. Eventually they could not avoid it any longer, and Steve carefully broke the news.

The response came slowly, as if Thor did not understand what they were telling him. Then came the hopeful questions, in which Thor seemed to think it was too good to be true, that his brother wasn't some terrible murdering warlord after all. And then came the realization and the grief, that he himself had silenced Loki so that he could not speak of his innocence, and had willingly handed him to the men that then tortured Loki to the point of near death.

After that, Thor was quiet for a long while. The others let him be, Bruce even got up to start putting together something for them to eat for dinner.

Eventually, it was Tony who interrupted Thor's brooding. "So, just wondering, you wouldn't happen to have a way to get back to your own planet would you? I mean, we'd love to have you, but I'm thinking your brother isn't really that safe here- not that he was before- but he might appreciate recovering at home rather than in the house of the guys who hand delivered him to his own personal hell."

Thor shook his head, "No, the means of which my father used to send me here I can not reproduce. To return I will need the tesseract, and Shield's Fury hold's it. It would be easy for me to retrieve it, but you have already warned me against taking arms against Shield."

Tony nodded, as though he had already suspected as such. "Ok, thats fine, I have a couple ideas as to how to keep Shield's scent off of us for a while. As long as you don't take your brother outside for walkies we should be fine. So we just have to use our time to try and figure out some alternatives while he heals."

At those words, Thor suddenly jumped up from the chair, startling the others as he strode quickly out of the room. Steve shared a quick worried look with the others before they all made to follow. Apparently Thor had been overcome with the desperate need to see his brother again, because that was where he was headed. Loki was precisely where they'd left him, laying on his side although his eyes were open and staring listlessly at the wall. Only when Thor reached forward to take his hand did Loki react, and that was to snatch his hands back and hold them close to his chest.

Thor was not deterred and took one of Loki's wrists even as Loki began to struggle.

"Thor, what are you doing?!"

"My brother is innocent of the crimes he's been punished for, I will not allow his suffering to continue needlessly. I am removing the chains that would hold his magic so that he can heal himself properly." Thor explained evenly as he did something to the cuff on Loki's right arm. Loki himself didn't seem to care what was happening, he was focused only on getting Thor to release him from his iron grip and started to thrash about, striking at Thor with his free hand.

The cuff fell off his arm and landed on the bedding with a soft thump and Thor managed to wrangle Loki's other arm so that he could do the same to that cuff. When that one fell to the floor, Thor released Loki who put as much distance between himself and the rest of them as possible. Pressed up against the headboard and the wall, Loki watched them all warily. They all just watched him right back. Steve didn't know exactly what he'd been expecting, but he'd expected something.

Nothing happened. Loki's burns remained the same, the bruises around his wrists from the cuffs stayed dark and ugly. Thor began to look alarmed and started forward to reach out to Loki who only recoiled from the gesture.

"Loki, what is wrong?"

There was no answer, Loki only continued to glare at all of them while the others turned their attention to Thor.

"I do not understand…" Thor confessed, his eyes never leaving his brothers.

"Just so the rest of us are in the loop, what exactly were you expecting?" Tony asked.

"My brother's magic is a powerful force, once released it should have healed him." He turned towards the others, his face crunched up with worry. "When we were young, Loki was often injured in the training ring because of his small stature. When he began learning his magics, he trained himself in the healing arts so that he would be able to heal his own wounds. He even trained his body so that the healing would be second nature, so that he would not even have to think about what he was doing. Any injury, wound or infection would not last long if Loki had but a fraction of his magic."

"Well," Tony theorized, "he's been in those cuffs for a while now, maybe his batteries just need to re-charge."

Thor shook his head. "The bindings I placed on him would not have drained his magic, only blocked his access to it. There should be no lack, I do not understand…"

It wouldn't seem as though Loki was up for answering them either, as he continued to glare viciously at his assembled captors. Despite his hostile stance, Thor tried again to inspire a response from his brother but Loki eventually turned away, glowering at the bedsheets instead. They left him eventually, even Thor though he seemed reluctant.

"So his magic is on the fritz," Tony said later on, clearly attempting to help relieve some of Thor's worries. "He's still healing faster than a human ever could."

"That is our way, what might fell a mortal would not kill one of Asgard… or of Jotunheim either. But that is not why I worry. My brother's magic should have healed him, the infection in his lungs included. Our natural healing will not. There are somethings that can not be repaired or healed. My father lost his eye, others have lost limbs in battle. Such things even we can not grow back. This damage to my brothers lungs, should he not heal it with his magic soon, I fear it will be permanent."

Suddenly Thor's distress was a lot more understandable. Permanent was a very big deal when the affected was immortal...

* * *

Finally some Loki POV! I promise later on we will go further in depth of how loki was controlled and so on. Please let me know what you thought!


	9. Chapter 9

The next couple days they watched Loki closely, but though he was now conscious, he did little but lay in his bed, quiet and still. Thor grew more and more distressed as each day passed and he had yet to get his brother to so much as speak a word. Bruce tried to reassure him that Loki's muteness might be due to the drugs wearing off, but Thor took little hope from that. Loki's magic made no appearance, the progress of his healing burns remained the same.

Loki was laying in the bed when Bruce entered mid-day, and as usual he gave no sign that he even noticed that he was no longer alone. Bruce looked him over without actually touching, as actual physical contact was usually the only way to illicit a response and it was always violent and defensive. The burns that covered his arms, neck and feet were healing but Bruce knew that Loki was still in a lot of pain. It was likely the prime motivator for his stone impression as any sort of movement would be agony.

That was also why Bruce was there armed with a new cocktail of drugs to try out. If Loki could not speed up the healing process with his magic, Bruce could at least do something to help manage the pain until his magic eventually came back. It was a simple matter of adding the dose to Loki's IV drip and hoping for the best.

Bruce checked over the tubing once he was done and took a seat near the bed, pulling out a paperback while he did so. An hour passed like that and there was a significant difference in the strain visible on Loki's body. He seemed to have relaxed some, his shoulders no longer as tense as he held himself still from the pain. There didn't seem to be any other effects, so Bruce picked up his book and things and taking his leave Bruce made for his own workshop, his mind already on another project.

()()()()

An half hour later saw Thor making his way to visit his brother. He'd taken to sparring with Steve before sitting with his brother as well as after to relieve the tension inside of him that was near constant now. He felt powerless whenever he saw Loki in such a state, injured and despondent. It was made worse by the knowledge that the ones responsible still lived and went unpunished. He had of course respected his friends wisdom when they continued to tell him that he could not simply seek out his own justice, but that did not mean that he was happy with it.

He was just turning into the hall which housed his rooms as well as Loki's when the being known as Jarvis' disembodied voice spoke up.

"Sir, it would appear that your brother is in need of assistance."

Thor did not need any other prompting, the remaining distance was taken with thundering steps but when he threw open to door to Loki's room he froze upon entry. It took him several moments to fully comprehend what he was seeing.

When he had left Loki that morning after breakfast, his brother had been laying on his side, his eyes drawn to the window in a blank stare. He didn't move unless touched, did not leave the bed for long except to relieve himself.

Now Loki was out of bed and across the room, pressed into the corner and sitting on the carpet. The bandages that had up to this point been covering the entirety of his arms had been torn off showing the angry red blisters underneath, the white strips of gauze littering the floor between the bed and where Loki currently sat. None of this was as alarming as the fact that Loki was crying.

Thor had seen Loki weep before. It was not often, he could count on one hand the times Loki had done so since they had left the nursery. But in those few instances, it had always been in anger or frustration or pain. Now Loki was crying with the force of someone whom had suffered insurmountable tragedy. The force of his sobs wracked his body where it sat pressed against the wall, his hands clutching at his hair and covering his face as the sounds of anguish poured out.

When Thor's mind finally caught up with what he was seeing, he leapt forward, heedless of the fact that Loki would likely startle at his sudden movements. It would seem though that Loki didn't even seem to notice his presence and continued to sob even as Thor kneeled down in front of him and gently grasped his shoulders.

"Loki," he called, shaking his brother very carefully. "Loki what has happened?"

There was no answer, instead Loki's head fell forward to land on his knees, his fingers lacing through his dark hair as his continued to sob. A quick scan of the room showed nothing that could have caused such a reaction, and there did not seem to be any new injuries.

"Loki please," Thor tried again, "what is the matter?"

"What's going on?" Steve asked as he came into the room followed closely by Bruce. "Jarvis just told us something was wrong with Loki,"

"I found him like this," Thor explained without turning away from the terrible sight of his weeping brother, "He will not speak, and I do not know what has caused this."

"Oh boy, I think I might." Bruce replied.

Thor turned to look at his friend who was twisting his hands together as he normally did when he was particularly worried. "What is it?"

"It might be the drugs I gave him." Was his answer. "The medicine," he added when Thor frowned at the word 'drugs'. "It was supposed to help with the pain, but there are side effects of the drug. I stayed with him for a bit to see if there would be a visible reaction but… obviously there has been."

"What types of side effects should we be looking for with this drug?" Steve asked, all business and looking at Loki with worry clear in his eyes.

"Everyone reacts differently. Hallucinations are a popular one. Usually pretty harmless too. But I think Loki's experiencing some depression or psychosis." Bruce explained as he kneeled down next to Thor to get a better look at Loki. "I'm sorry Thor, I was actually just trying to help."

"Is this permanent?" Thor asked, looking at his shaking sibling with distress.

"No! No not even close. Once the drugs leave his system he'll be fine. And that shouldn't take too long, his body burns through drugs at an accelerated rate. I was actually a little worried that the dose I gave him wouldn't do anything." Bruce leaned in and examined what he could see of Loki's arms. "Thor, do you think you can get him to calm down? We need to re-wrap these. He may not be feeling it now but he will in a bit."

Thor nodded grimly and Bruce stepped back to give them some room. The blonde warrior then awkwardly sat down on the ground next to Loki, and hesitantly put his arm over his shaking shoulders. When Loki did not immediately pull away, Thor moved closer so that their sides were flush and he could feel the tremors that ran throughout Loki's entire body. His sobs had died down but Loki was still curled in on himself and making weak noises into the gap between his chest and legs. Thor frowned deeply and looked up to his friends for assistance but they only watched on helplessly. Then he heard it. Tilting his head closer to his brother, he realized that Loki was not just making noise, he was speaking.

"-s gone, forever… can't fix this if it's gone, they took it-"

"Loki," Thor called gently, "Please brother, it is alright."

There was no verbal response to his words, but Loki's mumblings cut off and after a moment, his smaller body leaned a fraction into Thor. It was more than enough of a sign for the blonde warrior, and Thor took the chance to fully wrap his brother in his arms. Loki's thin frame still shook but after several minutes it seemed to die down some. Eventually Thor managed to get his brother up and sitting on the edge of his bed so that Bruce could come and re-apply the bandages while Loki watched with mournful eyes.

"I'm really very sorry Loki," Bruce apologized as he worked, though Thor was unsure how much his brother understood. Loki's green eyes were glazed looking and kept focusing on empty spaces throughout the room.

"Are you hungry brother?" Thor asked, sitting next to Loki and noting sadly how his brother was already leaning away from him. There was no answer either, but Thor was determined. His brother barely ate more than a bird, and if the mortals medicine made Loki more pliable then Thor was going to make the most of it. Putting a stabling arm around Loki's shoulders, he guided him into a standing position. "Come, let us go find you something to eat."

Loki was stiff in his arms but he did not twist away. If anything he seemed to have accepted that fighting Thor wasn't worth it and walked as directed. He only hesitated when they reached the door and looked back at the room.

"You should open the windows so that they can get out."

It was the first coherent words Thor had heard his brother speak since the battle in the city, and for the life of him, he did not know what they meant.

"So that who can get out Loki?" Bruce asked before Thor could.

Loki glanced at the shorter man and gestured weakly at the bureau. "The starlings. They can not get out if the windows are shut."

This only served to confuse Thor all the more but Bruce just smiled kindly and replied, "Don't worry, they will probably get out the same way they came in. Let go get something to eat, ok?"

This seemed to placate Loki, who nodded and continued to walk down the hall. Thankfully Thor wasn't the only one confused and Steve cleared his throat a moment later. "Um, Bruce?"

"I told you hallucinations are a pretty common side effect." Was the explanation to the question that didn't even need to be asked. "Just go with it, it's easier than trying to explain that what he's seeing isn't real."

The kitchen was empty when they arrived and Thor helped Loki sit in one of the chairs at the table while Steve went to the fridge to see what there was to make. Eventually soup was decided upon and a bowl was placed in front of Loki who looked at it with confused eyes.

"Are you not hungry Loki?" Thor asked when Loki made no move to eat. "Will you not try? You do not eat enough." Out of the corner of his eye he saw his friends quietly leave, but Thor did not turn from his brother. Loki did not move, he only stared at the ceramic bowl of cooling soup with a strange expression on his face. "Please brother, you must eat if you hope to regain your strength."

Finally his words seemed to reach Loki, who turned his head slowly to look at Thor. His eyes were still unfocused but Thor could see his brother was starting to come out of his haze.

"Why are you doing this to me?" Loki asked suddenly, in a voice so quiet that Thor barely heard it even sitting right next to him. "Do you hate me so much that..."

"Loki no," Thor reached out, and felt sick when his brother jerked away from him. "I do not hate you at all, I wish only for you better!"

Unfortunately his words seemed to do nothing to reassure Loki, who resolved himself to staring rigidly at his soup. Eventually Thor sighed and backed away from his tense brother. "Please Loki, please eat something." he asked tiredly.

Loki did not speak again, but after more urging Thor saw to it that the bowl of soup was consumed.

* * *

I would like to say here that I do not personally consider this chapter to contain any sort of woobie Loki. I have been asked in many emails to make sure that Loki remain true to character, and not turn into a 'ohmgawd don't hurt me please' victim, and I feel that I am doing my best at keeping Loki in an attitude that is believable for his situation. It just so happens that in this chapter he is a little woobie, but I maintain that this is because he is drugged out of his mind and tripping balls. But seriously, if at any time you feel that Loki is acting out of character, please for the love of god tell me!


	10. Chapter 10

The drugs that had affected Loki so strongly wore off quickly as promised and by the time Thor had walked him back to his room, Loki was feeling more or less like himself. He was also in a staggering amount of pain, and he carefully sat down on the bed and ignored Thor until he went away. He decided the refusal to speak was turning out to be a most effective way to get rid of his adoptive brother. Much better than trying to argue or worse yet, plead. That would not be acceptable. In any case, refusing to respond seemed to frustrate Thor so much that he left on his own in short order, leaving Loki in peace. Or at least as much peace that can be attained while his every movement caused absolute agony.

Loki resigned himself to his suffering, opting to lie as still as possible on his bed. He was not left alone long. He opened his eyes at the sound of unfamiliar steps approaching, and the shorter dark haired man came into his line of vision. Now that his mind was clear, Loki found it easier to remember the events that happened when he was under the scepter's spell. And so while he remembered that the man in his room was the one responsible for overseeing his healing process, he also remembered a large green beast. An uncontrollable force, full of power and anger hiding just under the mortal man's skin. Remembering this, Loki watched the man warily as he approached. If the beast emerged, there would be little Loki could do to defend himself in his state.

It would seem though that the man had no intention of releasing the monster within, and instead produced a small cup of water and two white beads. The mortal apologized for the events that occurred earlier that day, and explained that the beads were a medicine. Something to take away the pain.

There wasn't much to think about before he took the offered medicine. He was helpless anyways, there was little left that they could do to him. And if the little beads would take away even an iota of his pain then it would be worth the risk. Knowing all this did not stop him from watching the mortal's face carefully as he swallowed the medicine down, searching for any sign of triumph. There was none, the man only nodded once and left him alone again.

The effect of the medicine was not immediate, but eventually he felt the difference. It didn't go away entirely, but Loki could at least relax a little. And then he felt very relaxed, even as his skin throbbed with the beat of his heart. His thoughts became loose, and before long he had slipped into a half sleep.

()()()()

When he came back to himself, he became aware that Thor was in the room and that he'd been half listening to the oaf for some time. He couldn't recall if he'd spoken at all, but from Thor's forlorn expression Loki felt sure that he hadn't. The light in the room was different, and he realized dimly that it was late afternoon. If he concentrated very hard, he could remember how Thor had brought a plate with food on it, and had badgered him until he'd eaten half of its contents. He'd then taken a seat at Loki's bedside and had filled the silence with his own voice, speaking of what he considered fond memories. They were of course from Thor's perspective and Loki recalled most of the stories in a different light.

And then as his mind cleared, a half forgotten memory came to him. In it he can see Thor gesturing with Mjolnir and arguing. "So you would take the world I love as recompense for your imagined slights?" The blonde asked, and Loki knew it was a memory from when he was under another's control. It did not stop the stab of cold fury that passed through him at the words and what they implied. He held his tongue though. It would do him no good to suddenly start raging over something that Thor would never grasp.

Instead he focused more on the troubling fact that the medicine that spared him the pain of his burns also dulled his mind. It was not as bad as it had been in the morning. He could barely remember what had happened there. The last thing he recalled was watching as the short mortal did something with the tube that was attached to his arm, and then the next thing he knew he was in a bright kitchen with a bowl of soup in front of him and Thor at his side pleading with him to eat. At least this time he could vaguely remember the events that had occurred.

Thor stayed a while longer as the medicine wore of completely and the pain of his injuries made itself known as slowly and evenly as the tide. Thor, who was normally entirely oblivious to others discomfort, saw the growing tenseness of Loki's body, and correctly deduced the cause. He then produced more of the little beads of medicine. Loki did not take them. When Thor made to bring them to his mouth and Loki turned his head away, wincing at the pain the movement caused.

"Loki, please, there is no need for you to suffer like this." Thor pleaded with him, but Loki kept his lips firmly shut. Thor gave up, and left the medicine on the bedside table beside a glass of water. He left soon after that, his shoulders tense with frustration and Loki had no doubt that he was going in search of something he could pummel. Loki was left alone for the rest of the night after that. He spent it curled up on the bed, trying to ignore the waves of pain as they washed over him. Hours dragged by, and though he was exhausted he could not sleep. His arms throbbed and itched and he could feel the heat radiating from them through the bandages. A hair on his neck may as well have been a whip. The blankets on his feet felt like weighted hot coals.

In the middle of the night, when the house was silent, he reached out a bandaged arm and took the medicine from the nightstand.

()()()()

It took almost two full days before Bruce realized that Loki was only taking the painkillers at night. Though the drugs were offered and left within reach, Loki was for some reason willingly spending his days in absolute crippling agony. Thor had left that morning to visually spend time 'guarding' Jane Foster and would not be back for two days, so it was Bruce who had brought Loki some lunch to find the drugs where he'd left them in the morning. Loki was obviously in a great deal of pain, but ignored him when Bruce tried to get a response. Not to be deterred by a shy patient, Bruce went to a more direct source.

"Jarvis?"

"How may I be of service Dr. Banner?"

Despite the calm tone of the computer, Loki still flinched at the disembodied voice.

"When did Loki last take his medication?"

"Eleven forty nine last night sir."

"And before that?"

"Twelve fifty six the night before yesterday."

Bruce looked down at the suffering god on the bed. "Loki, why aren't you taking your meds?"

There was no answer.

"Loki," he said carefully, kneeling down so that Loki was forced either to look at him or close his eyes. "I know you are in a lot of pain. We can't heal you any faster, but the medication should help manage the pain you are in. Was it not working?"

Bruce knew it had to, Loki was taking it at night. Even if that meant that it was just enough to help him sleep then at least it worked a little. Loki did not answer, nor did he break his stare with the space over Bruce's left shoulder. But Bruce saw his eyes flash with something other than pain.

"What is it Loki?" he asked. When there was no response he pushed on. "We don't want to see you hurt, the reason you're even here is so that you can get better before Thor takes you home. The drugs I've given you were only meant to help with your pain levels. What you've been taking now is a less powerful dose of what I gave you a little while ago." A thought struck him then. "Loki, have you been experiencing any side effects from the medication?"

That got something of a reaction, Loki's eyes shuttered slightly.

"Loki, I want to help. If you are having an adverse effect from the medication, tell me and I will find another painkiller."

That made Loki look at him. He didn't say anything, he just stared at Bruce with a very intense look.

"It numbs my mind." he rasped quietly, wincing when the words escaped him. Bruce helped by bringing a cup of juice with a straw to him, allowing him to drink before pressing him with more questions.

"How so?" He asked when Loki was finished. "Do you black out? Like… not remember what happens while you're medicated?" Loki shook his head. "Is it more like its hard to concentrate?" this time Loki didn't answer so Bruce waited patiently.

Finally, "It dulls my thoughts, and I can not even control my own mind."

Well that certainly made sense of why Loki would opt for agony over medication. Thankfully it was something that Bruce could help with. "Ok, that I understand. I'll be right back." He stood and took the pills with him. When he returned, Loki had moved so that he was more propped up against the headboard and glared at Bruce with mistrust when he re-entered.

Nonplussed, Bruce calmly explained, "The medicine you were on is something called morphine. It's a pretty effective painkiller that's used for a lot of different kinds of ailments to moderate pain. Unfortunately it also comes with a bunch of side effects, some of which you got to experience the other day. I thought the milder dose might have helped but I guess not. This is a different drug," he held out the new pills but Loki didn't move to take them. "It's called Vicodin, I already ran a simulation against your basic body chemistry and it should moderate your pain levels even better than the morphine. The reason I didn't give this to you in the first place is that because of your metabolism, you would need three times the normal daily amount this drug is allowed. And it is highly addictive. I really didn't think you'd want to add withdrawal to your already colourful road to a clean bill of health. I've put out an order for some Percocet, which is a lot less addictive and just about as effective. We can just use this in the meantime."

Loki was staring at the while pills in the plastic cup, his expression completely blank, but then he raised an arm to take the offered pills. Bruce hesitated, pulling the cup back a fraction which made Loki look back up at him with narrowed eyes. "Loki, I need you to promise to tell me if you start to have any sort of reaction to these drugs at all. It's bad enough that we are giving human medication to someone who is literally an alien without doing drug trials… I can run the simulations down in the lab but I can't predict the effects as exactly as I would like. So for your own well being, you need to tell me if you are getting any side effects. Not just take them at night. Ok?"

The look on Loki's face was strange, like he was trying to figure out something but he nodded and Bruce willingly handed the meds over. "If I'm not around, just tell Jarvis, the uh… computer that's… the voice in the ceiling." he pointed up and Loki's eyes followed the gesture. "Jarvis can see and hear everything in this house, so if you need anyone just let him know and he'll alert us wherever we are."

Loki was clearly affected by the news that an unseen being lived within the walls of the house, but again if he had an opinion he did not share it. He only swallowed the pills with the air of someone who may as well have been taking hemlock.

()()()()

After the man named Bruce left, Loki gingerly ate the lunch that had been brought up which consisted of a small sandwich and cut up vegetables. The food sat like a stone in his stomach, but over time that feeling went away. In fact, most of his discomfort went away. And this time his mind remained as sharp as ever. Feeling relieved beyond measure, Loki got up out of the bed to test the limits of his body. He was still very stiff, his limbs felt heavy and sore but the radiating pain that came from his burns was nothing but a dull hum of discomfort.

Going into the attached bathroom, Loki made use of his increased mobility and cleaned himself as much as he could with a wet washcloth. He even managed to rinse off his hair, being careful not to get his bandages wet. Afterwards he had to admit he felt much better, but he also had to admit that with that taken care of, he'd run out of things to do. The room was as bare as it had been the day he woke up. Standing in the middle of the room, he looked up at the ceiling, trying to determine where the voice from earlier had come from.

"May I be of any service?" The voice returned, and Loki held himself very still.

"What are you?" He asked, his eyes darting about, looking for a shape, a shadow, anything. But the voice itself didn't seem to have come from any one direction.

"Just A Rather Very Intelligent System," was his answer, which really didn't explain anything. Loki's lack of response was perhaps enough to incite more of an explanation because after a moment the voice spoke up again. "I am an Artificial Intelligence created by Mr. Stark to run security and internal systems within his properties. If you require anything please do not hesitate to ask. I am installed into every room in this house. I am called Jarvis, may I inquire as to your preferred appellation?"

"Loki." was his short answer. There was no need to go into surnames, and it would do his already questionable sanity well not to dwell on the matter. "So it is your duty to ensure that I remain imprisoned? They would leave such a task to a ghost?"

"While I have been instructed to survey your movements, you will find that the door to your rooms is unlocked and has been ordered to remain so. The house and most of its amenities are free to your disposal. The only doors you will find are locked are those of Mr. Stark's personal workshop, the arsenal, and the reactor chamber. Your only other restriction is that I have been ordered to ensure that you remain within the house. This is of course for your own safety."

"No doubt." Loki muttered, mentally tucking away the information. "But otherwise I am permitted to wander freely?"

"Indeed."

Loki glanced at the door, "And no matter where I go, you will be watching."

"As I've been instructed to, yes. However I feel the need to inform you that I have been instructed only to inform Mr. Stark of your activities if you are bringing harm to yourself or others."

Loki made a dismissive sound and reached for the handle of the door. The hallway outside was as empty and quiet as the last time he ventured out.

"If I may help, you are currently on the second floor, the stairs are down the hall to your right. To the left are more bedrooms. Your brother's room is beside yours to the right."

"Thor is not my brother." Loki snapped, almost automatically.

"Acknowledged," was Jarvis' simple reply before continuing on with the verbal tour. "There is also an elevator down the hall to the right that will allow you access to most levels of the house. The lower levels contain the pool and spa facilities, the gymnasium and medical center, as well as Mr. Stark's workshop and Dr. Banner's Lab. The ground floor holds the entertainment areas, game room, library, as well as the kitchen, and dining area."

"There is a library?" Loki questioned, though he vaguely recalled Thor speaking of one.

"Yes sir, would you like me to direct you to it?"

Loki lips twitched. "Very much so."

* * *

Holy cow, I honestly did not think that comment would get so many reviews! Thank you everyone so much! I'm so happy that everyone is enjoying the story so far and that you all think everyone is in character!

I took the chance in this chapter to properly explain Loki's drugged out experience a bit more. Next chapter Tony gets a little attention (because I feel like I've been neglecting him to one liners and that wont do!) and Pepper comes to the mansion. See you all in a week!


	11. Chapter 11

When Thor returned to the Stark Mansion, it was perhaps unfortunate that he did not seek out any of his friends first. Instead he walked directly into the house and made only a quick stop in his rooms to drop of his bags before ducking into Loki's room. He was then quite surprised to find it empty. There was admittedly a small panic at the discovery, and it took longer than it should have to remember the voice in the ceiling that he could question. Tony's Jarvis was an astounding invention, and Thor was all the more grateful for it when the calm voice informed him that Loki had left his room of his own violation and was currently exploring the library. Relief washed over him at the news, not only for the knowledge that Loki was alright, but also that he was resuming some of his old habits. Surely this was a sign of improvement.

Thor was smart enough to know that Loki would not likely appreciate him visiting and breaking his solitude, so instead he sought out Tony Stark.

"Hey big guy, hows the fair maiden?" Tony greeted when Thor entered his friend's workshop.

"Lady Jane is well. She asked me to pass on her thanks for something that you sent her. She was most relieved to get it."

That got Tony's attention, and the man turned on his stool to look at him with a pleased expression. "I thought she might. She didn't happen to tell you what it was did she?"

"She did try but I confess her explanation was… confusing." Thor admitted. Jane had tried very patiently tried to explain what the small metal boxes were for, but in the end all that he had understood was that they were somehow for her own security.

"They're magic repellers!" Tony said excitedly, waving his fingers about and giving a grin that suggested that Thor probably shouldn't take him very seriously.

"I do not understand."

"You wouldn't believe how much I've heard that this week. Ok, so you know how I've been running all those scans and tests on your hammer and all that? Well I've been able to locate a particular energy pattern that radiates from it, and to a lesser degree, you. Using this information, and a lot of science I won't bore you with, I've come up with a nice compact device that acts as a repeller to someone soaked in that energy. Aka, _magic people_." Again Tony wiggled his fingers at the word magic, and Thor frowned.

"Those boxes are to keep me away from Jane?"

"Not you specifically, more for Loki."

"But my brother is not a threat to Jane!"

"But Shield doesn't know that." That gave Thor pause and Tony gave him a meaningful look. "Half the whole keeping your brother safe from Shield plan is making sure Shield thinks that _we_ still think Loki is evil and on the loose. That's why you've been spending time with Dr. Foster, and why Steve's been making trips to Shield for plan meetings. That's why I've been making ridiculous devices to protect you fair maidens, because we _have_ to keep up appearances. Now I really don't think these devices will actually do anything to your brother other than give him a headache. What matters is that the science says that it will stop him and its made Shield back off a little. It also means that as far as they're concerned, Jane is now totally protected and you can devote all your time here, with us, trying to find a way to find and stop your evil brother. Or rather, you can spend all your time here with Loki and help me figure out a way to get you guys back home."

Thor blinked, and then smiled. "My friend, if things had been different, I think you and my brother would have gotten along very well."

"Yeah, we'd have friendship bracelets and everything." Tony remarked as he turned back to whatever he was working on. Thor could never tell, and had given up on trying. The symbols and lines that hung in the air looked much like his brothers rune work, something that had always gone over Thor's head no matter how Loki tried to explain it to him.

"Your Jarvis has told me that Loki has left his room today, did you know of this?"

"Oh yeah, he's been wandering around the house since Bruce gave him the 'good' drugs. He stays out of sight for the most part though. Which is cool, I always wanted to have a haunted mansion and your brother makes a good a ghost as any. Scared the crap out of poor Pepper but I guess it wasn't really his fault. I probably should have told her before she came over. It's ok though, she stopped screaming eventually, and it's not like anything she threw actually hit Loki." Tony looked up to grin at Thor who frowned in worry. "Don't give me that look, your baby bro is fine. eating on his own and everything! Or at least we think he is. Food goes missing from the kitchen, and Jarvis says its Loki who's eating it so I guess there's that."

"That is indeed good news," Thor agreed, feeling a little lighter at the knowledge that Loki was no longer languishing in his room. "Has he recovered his magic?"

Tony shook his head. "Not that anyone has noticed. Jarvis hasn't seen anything, and his rate of healing been pretty consistent. Bruce has his fun little medical center all set up downstairs now and he has Loki come in at least twice a day now to check him over and dole out the happy pills." Tony had tuned back to his work, and was gesturing though the hovering images and working at a rapid pace. "If you want specifics though you're going to have to see the green guy, I've been busy with security."

Thor stepped closer, eyeing Tony's work. "Are we not safe here?"

"For now." was his ominous response. Tony pulled up two familiar images and Thor studied the forms of the two warriors that had joined battle with them to defeat Loki.

"Agents Romanof and Barton are out in the field currently, but they won't be forever. At some point whatever mission Fury has them of is going to end and I guarantee that as soon as they're free he's gonna send them here."

Thor frowned, "Are they not our friends and shield mates?"

"Oh they're 'Shield-mates' alright, as in they're in tight with Shield. You know, the organization that tortured your brother and nearly killed him?"

"They would not betray us!" Thor protested, even knowing that he knew very little about the two warriors.

"We don't know that." Tony argued, doing something with the files. "They aren't like the rest of us. I've never really worked that well with the government, and Bruce has been in hiding from them for years. Even Steve has a track record of not following orders so he can run off to do the _heroic_ thing. But these two? They're Shield Agents. We can't assume where their loyalty lies or that they won't deliver us right to Fury the second they find out Loki is here. And the tricky part is that I can't just not let them in. I made a point to tell Fury that this is a place for the Avengers. They're Avengers. If I don't let them in, Fury will _know_ something is up."

"What will you do then?" Thor asked.

Tony smiled gamely. "I have a few plans, but if it all goes to hell anyways, I have backup plans. Some safe houses we hide in for a bit until we can figure out our next move. Not every property I own is on the books. We have options."

Thor looked at his friend who was now focused completely on the work in front of him and stepped forward to grip his shoulder. "Thank you my friend."

"Don't thank me yet, there's only a 36% chance we're all getting out of this without getting black bagged by the government and never heard from again."

Thor didn't know what that meant, but he chuckled and left Tony to his work. Perhaps Banner would speak to him of his brother's recovery.

()()()()

When Pepper heard the sounds of someone in the kitchen, she had expected it to be Steve based off of the sounds of drawer's and cupboards being opened and shut in quick succession. What she found was Loki, looking particularly agitated as he searched through the back of a drawer only to shut it again in frustration. She still wasn't used to the sight of the man responsible for the death of so many wandering around Tony's home, but she knew now that it hadn't really been Loki. But knowing the truth did not stop the instinctual nervousness that overcame her when confronted with the god.

Still, she was Pepper Potts, and it would take more than that to make her hide, so she stepped into the kitchen with her posture perfect and and head held high. "Can I help you find anything?" she asked, proud that her voice was even and sure.

Loki slammed another drawer shut and answered without facing her. "I require a blade." he stated simply.

Pepper blinked, the only visible sign that his words had any effect. Inside though she felt a spike of fear before pushing it aside. "What do you need it for?" She asked evenly, fully aware that all the knives and vaguely sharp utensils had been hidden once Loki had become mobile. She didn't know what she would say if he asked why they had been hidden. It had been for two reasons actually. One was that they didn't want to display weapons in front of the healing god, the other was that Loki was unofficially on suicide watch.

Loki turned to her at last when she asked her question, looking irritated that he had to explain. "Is it not enough that I must ask for one?"

Pepper met his glare with a look of her own, one that was tried and tested on Tony Stark himself. Miraculously it worked on gods as well as multibillionaires because Loki sighed. "I wish to cut my hair." he said, his voice low.

That … wasn't what Pepper had been expecting. Though she could understand why, Loki's hair was quite long, and if he'd been held prisoner for as long as Tony had said then he'd likely not had the opportunity to cut it in a long time. That thought sparked a wave of sympathy that surprised her, but it couldn't be helped. She suddenly couldn't help but remember when Tony had been found in the desert, how he said that the first thing he needed was a hamburger. That had been a bit of a half joke, but it had helped to know that Tony was still Tony even after the terrible things he'd gone through. But the truth of the matter was that the hamburger was the first thing he had once he was home. The first thing he did once he had been rescued was shave his beard and get his hair trimmed. For Tony, image was very important and making himself look like what he was used to helped him. Loki hadn't been given that option, in fact as far as she knew he hadn't really asked for anything at all, not even familiar clothes. Instead he wore the pyjamas that had been put on him and wandered around Tony's home quiet as a ghost.

"I can help with that." Pepper said after a moment's thought. "If you go up to your room I'll bring what you need there in a few minutes." And with that she turned and left without waiting for a response. It was a simple matter of grabbing a basic grooming kit and some towels. Loki was in his room when she entered, standing by the windows off to the side. He turned to her when she knocked and glanced down at the bundle she carried with an unreadable look.

"If you sit down in that chair I can cut your hair for you," she said, her voice all business as she set down her load on the bed. When she looked back up, Loki was glaring.

"I am more than capable of cutting my own hair."

"Unfortunately that's not an option." she countered.

"And why is that?"

Here Pepper paused, "Because at this time you are not supposed to be allowed near anything sharp that could be used as a weapon." she answered honestly.

Loki seemed to think on that, and then curiously, a small smile appeared on his face. He didn't seem upset at the news, in fact it seemed to please him. The smile disappeared quickly, and he took a step closer to her. "And what is to stop me from simply taking what you have brought?"

Pepper didn't move away, didn't show any discomfort or fear. Instead she levelled him with a glare that she usually reserved for Tony when he was getting on her last nerve. "I really don't have time for this. Do you want your hair cut or not? I am currently your only option, and I am more than practiced in emergency haircuts from all the times Tony needed them so either sit down or I'll leave."

Loki's eyes widened slightly at her tone, (or perhaps it was her gall, how many people yell at gods and tell them to shut up and sit down she wondered...) but he did not argue anymore. That did not mean that he was suddenly happy to follow her orders, but after a moment he did concede and sat in the chair she had pointed at.

"Thank you." she breathed, feeling a little surreal about the situation. "How short would you like it?"

Loki did not answer verbally, instead he turned his head so that he could see her out of the corner of his eye and gestured to his neck. Pepper nodded to show that she understood and draped a towel over the god's shoulders. After that she went to work, expertly cutting and trimming the dark hair to the length that had been indicated. Loki did not speak at all, and it was a little unnerving, considering she was used to Tony and is endless chatter and rambling and music and _noise._ Loki didn't move, didn't speak, she might as well have been working on a statue.

Still, it did give her a chance to get a closer look at him. He was facing away from her so he could not see her staring, and she took the opportunity to study him. His hair was smooth and a little damp, likely he had wet it in preparation of cutting it. But as she cut away from his neck she saw the skin there and winced at the healing blisters. She was very careful with the scissors and her nails lest she scratch at the obviously sore skin. To think that his arms were worse made her wince in sympathy. At least his burns seemed to be healing well, there didn't seem to be any scarring which was a blessing. But as she cut away another section of hair she noticed a series of scars that ran from his hairline, down his neck and under the hem of his shirt. The scars were not from the burns though, and she was left wondering what had left those marks. They looked almost deliberate. She didn't ask though, not wanting to be rude.

But studying those scars was better than thinking about what else was on her mind. That the man she was currently helping was the reason that half of New York City was in ruins. The reason so many people were dead or homeless. This was the man who had killed Phil…

But at the same time it wasn't. Loki was just as much a victim as those he had attacked. More so because he had been attacked on both sides. He'd probably be dead by now if Tony hadn't found a way to get him out in time, murdered in a cruel and heartless way. And she tried to remember that fact rather than focus on the knowledge that Loki had killed Phil himself. Stabbed him clean through with that cursed sceptre that Shield was likely studying at that very moment. Stabbed in the back, without a chance to fight back…

"Who was it?"

Pepper startled at the sound of Loki's voice. It was then that she realized that she had stopped cutting his hair, lost in her own thoughts. Loki had turned his head towards her again, watching her out of the corner of his eye with a calm expression. "I- I'm sorry?"

Loki grimaced, as though the idea of repeating himself was unpleasant. "I ask who it was that I killed that you knew."

"How did you-"

"Your distress is that of someone whom has recently grieved, and considering that I recently gave many the reason to grieve it is an easy assumption that your sudden upset is related."

Pepper stared at him, unsure of what to say. His voice was level, neither mocking or hurtful. In fact he seemed oddly resigned. "His name was Phil." she admitted finally.

Loki nodded minutely. He was quiet for a long moment before speaking again. "I am sorry," he said quietly, "for my part and actions in those days."

Pepper sat stunned. Loki was apologizing for killing Phil?

"I-uh, thank you." she stammered out finally. Loki nodded again before turning to face ahead once more and she began to cut his hair. "Besides, it's not like you were even in control of your actions, I can't really be mad at you…"

"I'm imagine that brings little comfort." Loki intoned and Pepper had to agree.

"Well, that's my problem to deal with," she said, finishing with cutting off the last of Loki's long hair and began trimming the edges. A thought hit her in that moment and she couldn't help but ask, "Do you remember him?"

Loki took a moment to answer, "I remember much, that is not not the difficult part."

"What's the difficult part?" She asked, thinking it might be dealing with the knowledge of what he did. That would be the worst part for her.

"Determining which memories are the correct ones."

Peppers fingers paused in their work. "What do you mean?"

This time Loki didn't answer for some time. Pepper had just come to the conclusion that she would not get an answer at all when he suddenly spoke up.

"There were others that I controlled using the sceptre that had been given to me. That same sceptre has been used on me, but its effects were different. Those that followed me, I remember I made them… different. Something other than themselves. They could not do this to me, the sceptre took who I was and twisted it. Now my memories are twisted as well. All of my impressions, thoughts and wants were mine but at the same time they weren't. I do not understand many of my memories, and I do not know which ones I should trust."

"That… sounds terrible," Pepper said when he was done, and it did sound terrible. What it must be like to be recovering from torture, not knowing anyone who he could trust, himself included. "Is there anything we can do to help? Have you told the others this?"

"There is little anyone would be able to do to help," Loki answered. "I am managing on my own, thank you."

"You know, there's nothing wrong with accepting help from people who offer it. How can you possibly manage working out your memories when you say you don't even know which ones are real?"

"I have been using reports and such. There is no lack of mortals discussing the events of those two days and it is a simple matter of comparing my memories to theirs." Loki answered easily.

"Reports?" Pepper asked feeling a little astonished, "Where are you getting these reports from?"

"There is a computer in the Library, I was not told that I wasn't permitted to use it."

"You've been using the computer, the internet?! That's where you're getting these reports? How do you even know how to use a computer? Thor is still having trouble with the toaster!"

"Well I've always been somewhat more intelligent that Thor…" Loki smirked. It was only a small one and it disappeared quickly but it was a smirk all the same. "Jarvis taught me how to navigate the internet so that I may read your news and other sites."

"Huh," Pepper tried to hide her amusement that the injured god had apparently befriended the AI. She had finished with the length of his hair by now and was busy trimming the sides so that it wasn't falling into his face so much. "Well I still think that it would help to talk to the others about your memories. You can only get so much from a news report and even then they aren't that trustworthy themselves. And Tony, Bruce and Thor were all there and can give you first hand information."

Loki did not respond to that, and remained quiet while she finished. When she was done, he thanked her quietly and later on that afternoon Pepper sat down with her Stark Pad and went about ordering some different clothes for Loki. It might not mean anything, and Loki might actually prefer the pajamas but she reasoned there was no harm in the gesture.

* * *

Yay Pepper for helping Loki out! But Oh so close with the scars...

Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, see you next week!


	12. Chapter 12

Bruce carefully removed the last of the bandages that had covered Loki's arms, tossing the gauze in the garbage nearby. The blisters were healing over finally, meaning there was little chance of infection and Loki's pain levels would be no where near what they were when he'd first woken.

Loki sat on the bench, all silent patience that Bruce was used to by now. Twice a day Loki would come down to the medical centre without prompting, sit upon the bench and allow Bruce to check him over and change his bandages. Afterwards Bruce would give him the medication he needed and Loki would leave without having said a single word the whole time. Sometimes Thor would show up halfway through, always hopeful for good news and trying to get Loki to talk to him. It never worked, and Bruce would always know when Thor was approaching because Loki would suddenly tense up and clench his jaw shut. He would sit in tense silence as Thor came in and ignore every attempt Thor would make. The second Bruce was done he would then snatch the pills from his hands and leave the room leaving Bruce to deal with the kicked puppy look Thor would be sporting.

This time was no different. Thor had shown up and Loki had closed right up. The only difference was that this time Tony was there as well, already talking about some projects he needed Bruce to take a second look at. Bruce shook his head, concentrating on the job in front of him and ignoring the other two for the moment. Loki only ever permitted Bruce to touch him, and Bruce was conscious of this enough to keep his touch careful and limited. So when he took Loki's bare wrist to examine the fading bruising leftover front he cuffs, Loki let him.

"How fares my brother this day?" Thor asked, apparently tired of being ignored by Loki and instead focused on Bruce instead.

"Great, the burns are healing very well. I think we can go without keeping them bandaged now. I don't foresee any other complications either, with infection or more scarring."

Loki's expression was unreadable as usual as Bruce put his arm back down and glanced back at Thor. He was surprised to see that the Thunderer was frowning in confusion.

"Um… that's good news by the way," Bruce said, mentally going over what he'd said and wondering what had caused Thor to look so upset.

"What do you mean 'more scarring'? Has Shield done more harm to my brother that you did not tell me of?"

Bruce glanced quickly at Tony who shrugged. No help there then. "No, not that we know of," Bruce told the Blonde, "At least I'm pretty sure that Shield isn't responsible for anything else. The scars I found were under the burns, and already healed over so I kind of assumed Loki's had them for a while."

"Which scars do you speak of?" Thor was stepping forward and Bruce became aware of a drastic change in Loki's demeanor. Whereas before he had been more irritated than anything, now he was so tense Bruce was actually a little worried. He even took a step or two away from Loki and pulled up a file on the large screen nearby, opting to use the scans he'd taken rather than use Loki's himself. A 3D model of Loki's body appeared and he made sure that the lines that were the scars were illuminated so that Thor could see. They ran over most of his body they didn't look like they were from an injury at all. Every line was deliberate and ran up and down each of his limbs, around his torso and up his neck, and Bruce had assumed that they had been there a while, perhaps part of Asgards culture or something. Thor's expression told him without question that he was completely wrong, and that this was the first he'd been made aware of the scars existence.

When the Thunderer looked away from the hologram, he turned to his brother suddenly looking murderous. "Brother, who would dare do this to you?!" he all but shouted.

Loki didn't react at all to the noise. He did respond either, instead he just glared directly in front of him, silently fuming.

"So I'm going out on a limb here and assume that the scars are important somehow?" Tony quipped.

Thor spared him a glance before turning back to the hologram. "These markings, they are what are keeping my brother from his magic. They are a more cruel form of the bindings I had brought, carved right into the flesh. And they are permanent."

Bruce and Tony shared a look. "Are you sure?"

Thor nodded, looking heartbroken on his brothers behalf. "You are certain that Shield did not do this?"

"Well, yeah, pretty sure. The scars aren't that fresh, and the burns cover them so…"

"Then it was the one's responsible for controlling him and sending him here." Thor reasoned and stepped closer to Loki. "Brother, why did you not tell me?"

The question was ignored and Bruce pulled the hologram closer, looking with renewed interest. If the scars were what was stopping Loki's magic… "Thor, what else can you tell me about the importance of these markings?"

Thor turned back to him, looking frustrated and angry, but fortunately he pulled himself together and did his best to explain. "I do not know much, only that the placement of the lines are very deliberate. Usually this is only practiced on sorcerers that have committed terrible crimes and can not be trusted with their magic again. The markings somehow interrupt the connection between the sorcerer and their magic completely, and the effect is permanent. Once the scars have formed there is no way to undo this punishment. It is as I said before, there are things that our people can not heal."

Tony joined Bruce at looking at the hologram, squinting for a moment before turning back to the two gods with his usual grin in place. "Good thing us mortals are so much more advanced then," he gloated much to Thor's confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"Just one quick question," Bruce stepped forward, and Tony let him have the floor. "You're certain it's the scars that are stopping Loki from accessing his magic?" Thor nodded, though he still looked unsure. "So if we removed the scarring then theoretically he would have his magic back again, right?"

"Yes, but scars can not be removed. They can not simply be cut out,"

Bruce shook his head. "Yeah, that… or we could try a laser treatment that would remove the damaged tissue and leave only healthy skin behind. No marks mean no block on the magic right?" Thor was staring at him. So was Loki, but the slighter god's expression was calculating.

"You can do this?" Thor asked, sounding like he was afraid to believe it. "You can remove the scars?"

"I think so, not right away, the procedure takes time and several treatments. And considering the amount of scar tissue I estimate a couple weeks worth of it but yes, I don't see why it wouldn't work." At this point he spoke directly to Loki, "I have to warn you it isn't a comfortable procedure, it does hurt…" There was no response so Bruce pushed forward and went into detail explaining exactly how the procedure worked. Bruce watched Loki's face as he explained, noting how the neutral shuttered expression began to show signs of distress. Why, he couldn't exactly figure out. Wouldn't the return of his abilities be considered a good thing? Unless it was the prospect of willingly subjecting himself to more pain at the hands of humans so soon after his torture. If that was the case, then Bruce could certainly understand his reservations for going under a laser. Wrapping up the explanation, Bruce moved to look at Thor who stood beside Loki in what he probably thought was a protective stance.

When Bruce finished, Thor smiled at him, obviously pleased. The large man then turned to his brother and raised a hand that might have slapped Loki on the back had he not remembered at the last moment of Loki's many still healing injuries. Instead he barely kept himself from placing his large hand on Loki's thin shoulder.

"Is this not good news brother?" He asked in his usual booming voice that seemed too big for the small room. "My friends have found a way to break the bonds holding your magic. Soon you will be able to heal yourself-"

"No."

Bruce almost didn't hear the refusal but Thor certainly did from the way that the smile dropped off his face and he frowned in concern instead. "Brother, do you not understand? My friends do not-"

"I understand perfectly Thor," Loki hissed as he jerked off the table and out of Thor's grip. "You're intentions are clear, and I refuse to submit to them."

Bruce tensed when Loki had moved so suddenly, but the injured god did not move to flee for the open doors, or even to strike out at anyone in the room. If anything he put as much distance between himself and the rest of them as possible. Looking more like a cornered animal, Loki held himself tense and glared at Thor.

"Why do you continue this? It is a cruelty I never expected from you…" Loki asked before Thor could speak again. "Feigning sympathy, healing me? Promising to return my magic when it will only ripped away again. Do you think me a fool? Do you think I do not know what awaits me?!"

Loki's voice was hoarse with desolation, and Bruce knew without a doubt that Loki believed only the worst of them. Not that he couldn't be blamed for that attitude considering, but it didn't make it any less discouraging. Thor looked like he had been physically struck.

"Loki, no… you are safe from that now. Whom ever has told you this has-"

"It was your words Thor," Loki's words cut through the room and Bruce eyed the near hysterical god, gauging whether or not he would have time to turn into the Hulk when Loki decided to bolt. "When you handed me off to those mortals, you said yourself that when they were finished with me you would take me to Asgard."

"Loki, I swear to you that when I gave you to the mortals I had no idea what they had planned for you! Even if you had been guilty of the attack on Midgard I would never have allowed such a punishment. Nor would my friends. They rescued you, and healed you. And now they would return your magic to you. No one will take it away again, I promise you."

Loki shook his head, "You have either finally learned to lie or you are a greater fool that I ever thought. You expect me to believe that Odin has forgiven me? That I will not face judgment for my crimes once you bring me before him?"

"But you are innocent Loki," Thor said, his voice having taken on a pleading edge. The large god had raised his hands in a soothing gesture, and took a step closer to his brother but Loki only moved further back. "We know that you were not under your own control. Father wouldn't punish you for that."

"Have you forgotten? Or have I been granted pardon for my attack on Jotunheim? And lets not forget the attempted murder of the King's son and the heir to the Throne. Do not mock me Thor. I know what I will face when you drag me back there." Loki was shaking with anger and nerves now, "I've been tortured, put back together and then tortured again far to much lately. If its all the same to you, I think I'd rather get it over with."

Thor looked horrified, "Loki, Father will not- I would not allow it! Do you think that I would willing to hand you over to such a fate?"

Loki froze at his words, his mouth gaping a little in horror. Then those lips twisted up in a terrible mockery of a smile one might give to an inside joke. "You have already, why not again?"

"Brother I-"

"I am NOT YOUR BROTHER!" Loki shrieked, startling Thor into silence. Gasping for breath, Loki glared at the blond. "I am not your brother," he repeated, quieter but with deadly certainty. "And I am not his son. So tell me, what reason would the great All father have to pardon the monster of his crimes against the realm eternal? Why would he spare me the fate your laws would have me serve?"

"Because you _are_ his son! And you are a prince of Asgard no matter where you came from. You may not be his blood but Father chose you to be part of our family. Does that not matter?!" Thor argued fiercely,

"I was never part of your family!" Loki raged back and Bruce started to wonder if it would be polite to leave the room and let the two of them work whatever this was out. Tony was clearly not of the same mindset, and was observing the whole exchange with the air of someone who wished they had popcorn and a comfortable seat. "Odin did not take me out of sentiment, he brought me to Asgard because I might have been useful! I've never been anything more than a war trophy for him!"

"Loki no! You do not understand, Father told me-"

"He told me that he planned to _use_ me to create a permanent peace between Asgard and Jotenheim." Loki declared, his voice suddenly smooth and deadly. "Those are his words Thor. I care not for whatever pretty half lies he told you after you returned, when I discovered the truth of what I am, he told me the truth. Take me back to Asgard as you've been commanded, but I will not stand to hear you say that my welcome will be anything but bloody. Even if Odin wished to continue the charade of me being his son, there isn't a single person in Asgard who won't be vying for my execution. And Odin will not risk a civil war, not over some Jotunn runt."

"Father would never let that happen Loki! We thought we lost you once already, all of Asgard mourned your loss!"

Loki's eyes flashed at those words, and he took a challenging step forward. This time it was Thor who took a step back, likely worried about the intense look that had suddenly appeared on Loki's face.

"Is that so? All of Asgard you say? Perhaps I was wrong then, I've been wrong all these years and only imagined their curses and hatred. Tell me Thor, tell me about my funeral. When Odin set the ship aflame, how many days did it burn?"

Thor suddenly looked uncomfortable and Bruce felt a stab of worry. "Loki, you must understand, we didn't- Father said that there was hope that you were still alive, only too far from our sight."

"So there was no funeral then? I suppose that is fair. But then there must have been feasts in my name. To honor a lost prince, they must have gone on for weeks."

Again Loki spoke as if he already knew the answer, and Thor shifted uneasily on his feet. He did not need to answer; his posture gave it all away. Loki stalked forward until he was directly in front of Thor who valiantly made eye contact.

"Who mourned me Thor? Name but one person who raised their glass to me in a toast, who might have honestly lamented my loss. I expect your friends did. I can just imagine Sif weeping uncontrollably when she learned of my demise."

Again, Thor said nothing. Apparently he realized there was little he could say to make the situation better.

"That is as I thought. Do not lie to me Thor. I am very aware of my favor with the people of Asgard. I know exactly where I stand within the house of Odin. I have never been anything more than a tool to be used. Do not delude yourself into thinking I was ever otherwise."

With those final words, Loki stalked from the room. No one tried to stop him.

* * *

Merry Christmas to All! And as my gift to you, I had everyone figure out the meaning behind the scars and had Loki get a few things off his chest at the same time! I hope everyone is having a wonderful christmas, and I will see you all next week!


	13. Chapter 13

When Steve re-entered the mansion, he knew immediately that he'd missed something big. It wasn't that there were holes in the walls, or any sort of evidence of a large fight. Nothing that drastic anyways. No, what gave it away was the sight of Tony sitting quietly in the kitchen with Bruce, neither talking. Even when Steve walked in Tony didn't move or make eye contact, he just kept staring passively at the glass of amber liquid that he held lightly in one hand.

"Hey Steve, how was your run?" Bruce asked, able to at least acknowledge his presence.

"What happened?" Steve asked, ignoring the question entirely.

Bruce looked to Tony who didn't look up from his glass before sighing and turned back to Steve. "We learned a bit more about Loki today."

That really didn't answer much, so Steve pointedly took a seat at the table. "What happened."

It wasn't really an order, but Bruce explained anyways. "Well, on the plus side, we figured out why Loki can't do magic. He has a series of scars running all over his body. I had noticed them before but I thought they might be a part of a religious rite or part of Asgard culture or something. It turns out the scars were made by the same people who put the brainwashed him, and they act as a permanent block on his powers. The good news is that unlike Asgard, earth is full of vain people who have over the years developed different methods to remove blemishes and scars. The treatment is fairly easy to use and administer, and in a matter of weeks I'm fairly certain that we can erase all traces of the scarring and Loki would have access to his magic again. Hopefully in time to fix the damage done to his lungs as well."

That did sound like good news, but Steve knew he heard a 'but' coming. Sure enough…

"Loki doesn't want us to do it." said Tony and Steve frowned.

"Why wouldn't he want his powers back?"

"That would be because he's convinced that Thor is going to be taking home to be punished even more for some shit he pulled a year ago. And he's convinced part of that punishment would be them taking away his magic again followed by even more torture."

Steve stared. "Why would he think that?"

"That's what we asked Thor." Bruce answered, rubbing at his temple. "We pretty much pinned him down and made him tell the entire story of what happened before Loki showed up here with an army. It… was more than we were expecting."

Steve waited for them to continue and when they didn't he prompted, "Are you going to tell me?"

Bruce did. The short version of it was that for a thousand years the worst thing Loki had ever done was cut off some girl's hair, the rest of it was just harmless pranks that did no lasting damage. And then some time over a year ago Thor was supposed to be king but the ceremony was interrupted by enemies breaking into Asgard. The events that led to Thor's banishment to earth also revealed to Loki that he had been adopted from the enemy race, and Loki apparently had some sort of mental breakdown and tried to destroy his birth race entirely and kill Thor. The whole thing had come to a head when Thor had tried to stop him, and Loki had let himself fall into the void of space. From there they all assumed that he had fallen to whoever had bound his magic and brainwashed him. There might have also been some torture as well from some of the things that Loki had yelled at Thor but they didn't know for sure.

"What we really need to take away from this," Tony said as Bruce finished the tale, "Is that A)" at this he held up one finger, "We might have unintentionally taken in a permanent refugee. And B)" another finger was put up, "Loki is fundamentally and comprehensively screwed up."

"Tony-" Steve started; ready to admonish Tony for his words but the billionaire cut him off.

"Oh no, I'm not exaggerating. Loki isn't some guy who found out that he was adopted and pitched a fit because he feels a little insecure. This is the worst account of finding out your adopted in the history of adoption! You didn't hear what Thor said about Loki's mother race. Let's put it in a context you can relate with. Lets say Loki was raised in your time, lets say in Poland, by a nice Jewish family. And then one day he finds out that he isn't really their kid, he's adopted. But not even the nice kind of adopted where the parents couldn't have spawn any of their own so they took in a kid instead. No, Loki was adopted because dear old dad wanted you use him for political reasons down the road. Add on the fact that he isn't the same people as his adopted family. His birth parents were the Asgard equivalent of Boogieman-Nazi hybrids, and his Dad is the equivalent of Hitler. There aren't enough therapists in the world to deal with this shit."

Steve sat there and played Tony's words over in his head. Suddenly Thor's casual dismissal of Loki's actions the day the met by claiming that he was adopted seemed like the largest understatement Steve had ever heard. "Well, we are going to have to deal with it. And first thing we need to do is figure out exactly what Loki is facing when Thor takes him back. We handed him off once without asking what would happen, I'm not doing that again. Where is Thor?"

()()()()

Loki was not hiding.

Hiding would imply that he had hope of not being found and there was little chance of that when he was trapped in the same house as the person he was trying to avoid.

No, Loki was merely enjoying the quiet of the library, savoring his freedom to do so while he could. There were many seats in the library, and Loki was occupying a squashy brown leather sofa that resided near the back by a large window that overlooked the gardens. Night had fallen, so there was little to gaze at but that did not stop Loki from staring out into the dark. He had tried to read, but he found he was still worked up from his argument with Thor and gave up the prospect of relaxing. Instead he went over the conversation over and over, picking it apart. Thor obviously had no idea what sort of punishment Odin had planned. He seemed utterly convinced that Loki would be welcomed back with open arms and all would be well again. Such a childish notion, one which did nothing to help Loki determine what actually would happen upon his return.

He sat there for a long time, his mind going over all the possible punishments Odin might inflict, from the terrible to the gruesome. The best he could hope for was a quick death. Everything else just made him sick to think about.

The peace of the library was shattered when the door opened and Thor stepped in. The blonde closed the door behind him, and with a slower stride than was normal, Thor came to the corner in which Loki resided. He did not speak, but sat beside him, ignoring the glare Loki sent his way.

Loki did not have time to question what Thor was up to, as a moment later a heavy hand came around and rested on his opposite shoulder in an embrace. With a snarl, Loki twisted away from it, his fingers twitching with useless gestures that would have had Thor flying in the other direction if he'd had access to his magic. As it was, Loki was only mortal now, and had little chance of dodging Thor's second attempt. Impossibly strong arms darted around him at speeds he forgot Thor possessed and Loki was pulled from his cushion to he held in a firm embrace. It didn't matter how much he squirmed, thrashed, hit or clawed, soon Loki was trapped within Thor's grip. His arms trapped against Thor's chest and his head reaching just over his shoulder, Loki took the opportunity to yell and curse directly into Thor's ear.

All of it was ignored. All his threats, vile words and claims of retribution went unheard as Thor only held him closer.

"I mourned you." Thor said quietly when Loki had paused to take a breath. "I mourned you every day you were gone."

Surprise halted the threats in Loki's throat, and Thor hugged him even closer. "After you fell, Father told me what had happened in my absence. How you had discovered you were Jotunn. He told me that he fell into the Odinsleep before he could explain why he never told you, told either of us. I do not know why he told you that he took you only for a purpose, and told me it was out of sympathy. I do not know which is the lie or if it a mix of both. I do not care either." One of Thor's hands moved from his back to grip him at the back of his neck in a familiar gesture. "When Father told me the truth of what you are, I was furious, and was nearly banished again for all of my yelling."

"Furious to know that you had been raised alongside a monster no doubt," Loki hissed as he tried again to slip out of Thor's grasp but the elder god held fast.

"I was angry that he lied to you!" Thor corrected forcefully, shocking Loki into stillness once more. "And that he failed you so badly that when you discovered the truth, you lost your mind. I was angry with myself, if I had not been so foolish and gotten myself banished I would have been there and you wouldn't have been alone." Thor gave a great sigh that blew through Loki's hair. "I failed you as well brother. And I can not even blame my absence on it. When I returned from Midgard, I was so angry with you for your attack on me and the mortals. Even still I knew something was wrong, you were not yourself. But I allowed you to goad me into battle. You were lost then, and it was no-ones fault but mine and Father's. In the weeks that followed, none spoke of you to me either because they did not wish to or I could not bear it. I do not know. But I swear to you brother, on my hammer, on my name, on the Tree itself, I mourned you." Thor accented his words with another squeeze and Loki did not try to escape when his arms loosened again. "I felt as though I had lost a part of myself when I believed you were gone from us forever," Thor continued," I would have given anything at that point to see you again."

Thor fell silent then, and the library was quiet for a time as Loki sat stiffly in the embrace that had been forced upon him. Thor seemed content to hold on to him for the moment and gave no inclination of ever letting go. Normally such a thing would have bothered Loki, especially since contact with Thor always led to bruises and injury. But after an untold amount of pain dolled out by the Chitauri and the mortals, the comforting touch was a surprise that his body could not turn away from. And so Loki sat, torn between bracing for injury and leaning into the touch.

Eventually Thor shifted, and with a hand still holding on to the back of his neck, he moved back far enough to look into Loki's face. Loki avoided his eyes, not even close to ready to see what might be lurking there. Instead he focused his gaze upon the material of Thor's collar, finding that a much safer subject to look upon. Undeterred, Thor pulled him forward and Loki felt Thor kiss his temple before he was pulled further down to be tucked under his bearded chin.

"I will not take you back to Asgard Loki. Not against your will. If it is fathers wish to punish you for your actions while king, he will have to speak to me so that I can make him see reason. Surely you have already been punished enough, and I will not hear otherwise. But I do not expect you to believe me, or at least trust me to change fathers mind. So we will stay here until you wish to travel home. Heal brother, allow my new friends to release the bindings on your magic so that you can be whole once more. I swear that you will be safe here, I will not allow anymore harm to come to you."

Loki sat completely still in the embrace, his mind racing over Thor's words searching for the lie. Turning over phrases in his head to see how they could be twisted around and bite him later. But he found nothing. Thor could not lie. And his plan, such as it was, to grant Loki his magic back could not trap him once more. If the mortals really could remove the scars and release the bindings on his magic, he could hide from Heimdall again. He could walk between worlds again. Once his magic was back and at full strength, there would be no cell that could hold him and no eye could find him. He had nothing to loose by agreeing, and everything to gain.

Still, he found himself hesitating. Relying on Thor was never the safe option. Not for Loki at least. But he had little choice in the matter, it was either trust Thor, or continue living the limbo of this house that held him. Eventually Loki took a deep breath and nodded once, knowing that Thor was still waiting for a response.

The arms around him tightened once more in return and against his better judgment, Loki leaned into the hold a fraction.

* * *

Happy New year everyone!

And now for the bad news...  
I really didn't want to have to say this, I worked very hard not to but apparently it wasn't enough... I will not be posting a chapter next monday. I am very disappointed in myself, I set a goal for myself and I am not meeting it. The problem is that I don't have the next section done yet. I thought with my time off work I'd have so much free time to write but I forgot that Christmas is a giant time vacuum. I promise to keep writing, and hopefully I will have something for the following monday. If not, then for sure the monday after that.

In the meantime, please take this as a opportunity to let me know if there was something specific you would like to see in the upcoming chapters. There is no guarantee that I will use those suggestions, as I do have most of the story line in place, but I am always up for some inspiration!

I hope everyone has a great new year! I know I'm looking forward to it! Iron man 3, Thor 2 and my wedding! Woo Hoo! Go 2013!


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